College students’ perceptions of concussion: Illness beliefs and masculinity norms predict stigma and willingness to seek treatment

Abstract

College students’ beliefs and attitudes concerning concussion, and masculinity norms, were examined in relation to stigma and willingness to seek treatment for possible concussion. Beliefs were measured using a revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ). Participants: Participants were 631 undergraduates at a Northeastern university, most of whom were nonathletes with no concussion. Methods: Data were collected online. Regression analysis were performed to identify predictors of stigma and treatment willingness. Results: Beliefs that concussion symptoms reflect malingering, are controllable, and have psychological causes were related to more stigmatizing attitudes, as was endorsement of masculinity norms regarding winning and risk-taking. Believing that concussion symptoms are long-lasting and endorsing competitiveness, pain discounting, and self-reliance predicted willingness to seek treatment. Preliminary structural models showed adequate fit. Conclusions: In addition to beliefs assessed by the IPQ, traditional conceptions of masculinity warrant greater attention in the study of concussion-related stigma and willingness to seek treatment.

Keywords:

• Concussions
• health beliefs
• masculinity
• mild traumatic brain injury
• psychometric analysis

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States of America and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey.

Data availability statement

Data and research material will be available at osf.io.

Notes

1 https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/6CHDZ

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by a Cooper Fellowship for undergraduate research awarded to Anushka Sagar who developed the instrument and designed the study.