Child participation in collision sports and football: what influences parental decisions?

Review of Media Representation of Sport Concussion and Implications for Youth Sports

Participation in sport can incur a risk of sport-related concussion (SRC). Media representation of SRC is frequently at odds with up-to-date scientific data. Our findings confirm a significant amount of false, confusing, or misleading terminology used in reporting on the topic, which is concerning as media is as a major source of SRC information. Individuals have a variable base of knowledge pertaining to this injury, and accurate understanding of SRC does not always correlate to appropriate action. Inaccurate portrayal of SRC media may contribute to the confusion surrounding it. Popular media presents an opportunity to convey evidence-based information on SRC.

Peer and parent influences on youth skateboarding and factors that affect their decision to return to the sport after injury

Skateboarding is an increasingly popular sport among youth, despite the fact that they are a high-risk group for injuries during this activity. The purpose of this study was twofold: to explore youths' perceptions about the influences that peers and parents have on their skateboarding; and to identify factors that affect their decisions about returning to the sport after injury. Virtual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 26 youth, 14-17 years of age, who had experienced a medically-treated injury while skateboarding during the past year. Applying thematic analyses, major findings indicated that sharing the activity with peers fosters psychological well-being, companionship, and a valued sense of community that motivates return to the sport even after serious injury and sometimes before they are fully physically ready to do so safely. Parental concerns about physical injury (vulnerability, severity) were acknowledged but not influential, with youth feeling that parents do not appreciate the valued mental health benefits that they experience from the skateboarding community. Youth reported withholding injury information from parents, hiding injuries and downplaying their severity, and not always disclosing returning to the sport. Youths' decisions to return to the sport after injury was motivated by their feelings that skateboarding enhances their sense of identity, promotes their mental health, and provides respite because it allows them to escape from reality temporarily. Recommendations for reducing risk of injury to youth skateboarders at skateparks are provided.

Psychosocial aspects of sports medicine in pediatric athletes: Current concepts in the 21st century

Behavioral aspects of organized sports activity for pediatric athletes are considered in a world consumed with winning at all costs. In the first part of this treatise, we deal with a number of themes faced by our children in their sports play. These concepts include the lure of sports, sports attrition, the mental health of pediatric athletes (i.e., effects of stress, anxiety, depression, suicide in athletes, ADHD and stimulants, coping with injuries, drug use, and eating disorders), violence in sports (i.e., concepts of the abused athlete including sexual abuse), dealing with supervisors (i.e., coaches, parents), peers, the talented athlete, early sports specialization and sports clubs. In the second part of this discussion, we cover ergolytic agents consumed by young athletes in attempts to win at all costs. Sports doping agents covered include anabolic steroids (anabolic-androgenic steroids or AAS), androstenedione, dehydroepiandrostenedione (DHEA), human growth hormone (hGH; also its human recombinant homologue: rhGH), clenbuterol, creatine, gamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB), amphetamines, caffeine and ephedrine. Also considered are blood doping that includes erythropoietin (EPO) and concepts of gene doping. In the last section of this discussion, we look at disabled pediatric athletes that include such concepts as athletes with spinal cord injuries (SCIs), myelomeningocele, cerebral palsy, wheelchair athletes, and amputee athletes; also covered are pediatric athletes with visual impairment, deafness, and those with intellectual disability including Down syndrome. In addition, concepts of autonomic dysreflexia, boosting and atlantoaxial instability are emphasized. We conclude that clinicians and society should protect our precious pediatric athletes who face many challenges in their involvement with organized sports in a world obsessed with winning. There is much we can do to help our young athletes find benefit from sports play while avoiding or blunting negative consequences of organized sport activities.