Concussion History Predicts Adverse Health in Former College Athletes

THURSDAY, March 12, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Lifetime concussion history predicts adverse self-reported health outcomes among former collegiate athletes, according to a study published online March 11 in Neurology.Adrian J. Boltz, from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues examined associations between sport-related head exposure characteristics and physical, mental, cognitive, and behavioral health measures among former collegiate athletes who completed a baseline evaluation between 2018 and 2021 and were evaluated within five years of college graduation. A total of 3,910 former collegiate student-athletes were included: 36.2 percent self-reported at least one lifetime diagnosed concussion; 38.1 percent participated in a high-exposure sport.The researchers found that compared with athletes without a history of concussion, athletes with three or more concussions had worse scores of Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) anxiety, BSI depression, global severity index (GSI), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT) total symptom severity, and 12-Item Short Form Survey (SF-12) mental composite score, independently. Compared with athletes with no concussion, those with one to two concussions had worse scores independently for BSI-18, GSI, anxiety, Neuro-Quality of Life cognitive domain, PHQ-9, PSQI, SCAT total symptom severity, and the SF-12 mental composite score."While the effect sizes of our findings are quite small, the study participants are still young adults in their 20s, so we don't know if or how these effects might change throughout their lives," coauthor Steven P. Broglio, Ph.D., also from the University of Michigan, said in a statement.Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required).Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Concussion History Predicts Adverse Health in Former College Athletes

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