Changing the culture of concussion reporting among college athletes: The role of vested interests, organizational culture, and cultural narrative

The purpose of this project is to establish best practices and principles for effective messaging with respect to concussion reporting education among US college athletes. To accomplish this, it studies individual attitudes that have been the focus of most existing research, but from the standpoint of vested interests athletes have in reporting or not reporting concussion symptoms. It innovates by also studying the effects of organizational culture and cultural narrative on individual attitudes and behaviors. Both form important contexts in which the individual-level factors operate, and interact with ways in which attitudes and behaviors are expressed. Through study of high risk men’s and women’s sports, both with higher and lower professional potential, it also affords comparison of differences based on gender and post-college career prospects. The project will use a mixed-method design including surveys, experiments, interviews, and textual analysis. In Phase I, comprising years one and two, will focus on describing vested interests, organizational culture, and cultural narratives among athletes in football, wrestling, soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, and basketball. In Phase II will use conclusions from Phase I to design and experimentally test messages designed to bolster concussion reporting attitudes and behaviors. Deliverables include publications of field data analyses, experimental results, and best organizational and educational practices.