LAUSR

To explore the influence of referral source on state anxiety in concussed athletes. One hundred thirty athletes (mean age = 16.46, SD = 1.93 yrs; 42% female) seeking care for a concussion at a specialty clinic within 30 days of injury (M = 8.83, SD = 6.12 days) were enrolled in the study. Demographic (e.g., age, sex, and history of anxiety) and referral source (e.g., emergency department/urgent care, primary care/pediatrician, and athletic trainer) information were collected, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was administered to all participants. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to compare STAI scores between referral groups, and a logistic regression (LR) was used to assess the relationship between referral sources and patients with and without clinical levels of state anxiety (STAI > 40). Statistical significance for all analyses was (p < .05). Approximately 25% (32/130) of patients reported a history of anxiety, and 46% (60/130) scored above clinical cutoffs for clinical anxiety. The referral groups did not differ on STAI scores (F(3, 130) = 1.12, p = .34), and the LR was not significant, (χ2(2, N = 130) = 3.75, p = 0.15). History of anxiety was highly correlated with state anxiety at the first clinical visit; however, patients referred from different medical sources did not differ on clinical levels of anxiety at the first clinical visit following concussion.