A student-athlete in Las Vegas is researching the impact of concussions on athletes’ mental health. Payton Powell plays on the varsity softball team at Southeast Career Technical Academy, and she has suffered a few concussions while playing her sport. In fact, Powell says most student-athletes she knows have dealt with concussions. Inspired by her own experience and those around her, Powell entered into the UNLV Science Fair with this research project in mind.
According to Fox 5 Vegas, “Students will find out if they won the top prize in these research-based projects at the UNLV Science Fair on March 6th, with first place taking $500.”
For her research, Powell is interviewing other student-athletes and asking them to fill out a survey on how their concussions affected their mental health. Responses have poured in from across the country.
“I’ve noticed that a lot of people said that they didn’t feel like they received adequate support for their concussion from their sports organization,” Powell said.
Some of Powell’s research takes inspiration from a 2017 study published in the National Library of Medicine that focused on concussions and mental health in elite athletes. Back then, researchers couldn’t prove the causation between the two. For Powell, she is eager to focus on student-athletes, and her sample size is growing.
Powell’s survey asks athletes about the sport they play, their concussion history and the severity of their injury.
“It’s a big reason why I actually really wanted to get into my project like that is because I’ve seen so many people, and people I know, that have had concussions. It’s so common and it’s almost even like you don’t really bat an eye when you hear someone say they got a concussion playing sports,” said Powell.
Tedd Girouard, athletic training professor at UNLV, discussed concussion protocols with Fox 5 Vegas. He said, “There is a Return to Play protocol. There’s also something that just started this year called a Return to Learn protocol that is within Clark County School District. So, once you have a concussion there is an actual protocol to get you returning to the classroom.”
