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It is important to carefully evaluate self-reported symptoms in athletes with known or suspected concussions. This article presents data on the psychometric and clinical properties of a commonly used concussion symptom inventory-the Post-Concussion Scale. Normative and psychometric data are presented for large samples of young men (N = 1,391) and young women (N = 355). In addition, data gathered from a concussed sample of athletes (N = 260) seen within 5 days of injury are presented. These groups represent samples of both high school and collegiate athletes. Data from a subsample of 52 concussed athletes seen 3 times post-injury are presented to illustrate symptom reporting patterns during the initial recovery period. General guidelines for the clinical use of the scale are provided.

Previous studies have identified a number of variables which help to predict cognitive dysfunction following closed head injury (CHI) The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the predictive utility of a number of risk factors in a large sample of trauma patients who suffered CHI and underwent neuropsychological assessment Risk factors included demographic variables, Glasgow coma scale (GCS), CT scan, loss of consciousness (LOC), and blood alcohol level (BAL) Multiple regression was used to assess the role of these variables in predicting cognitive dysfunction Results suggested that LOC did not predict cognitive dysfunction Demographic factors did emerge as predictors of cognitive dysfunction BAL was correlated with initial GCS, but did not predict cognitive dysfunction once post-traumatic amnesia cleared.