Concussion Health Improvement Program

Concussion is common among adolescents, affecting up to 1.9 million U.S. youth per year. Although many youth recover quickly, up to 30% experience difficulty concentrating, headache, sleep disruption and other symptoms extending one month or longer, characterized as persistent post-concussive symptoms (PPCS). Youth with PPCS can have symptoms for months, leading to declines in academic function and quality of life, as well as excessive healthcare costs. Research indicates mental health comorbidity is linked to greater likelihood of prolonged concussive symptoms, however evidence regarding mental health interventions for PPCS is still developing and mental health approaches are not included in the standard of care. The investigators successfully adapted and tested a mental health intervention for youth with PPCS involving collaborative care (CC) delivery of youth concussion-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (cf-CBT), parenting skills training (PST) and care management (CM), with medication guidance as needed. We completed an R01 level randomized controlled trial of the CC approach for youth with PPCS, finding evidence for long-term gains; those receiving CC had improvements at 12 months in concussion symptoms (Cohen's d=0.32) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) (Cohen's d=0.29) compared to usual care. Perhaps most importantly, more than half of families (60%) completed the intervention entirely virtually, expanding accessibility. While our multicomponent CC approach was effective, research suggests duration and complexity of evidence-based mental health interventions affect the likelihood of successful implementation and dissemination.

The investigators are now striving to optimize the CC approach by assessing the contribution of each component in order to increase efficiency and scalability while maximizing effectiveness. They have chosen to view the CC intervention treatment effects using the frame of the Socioecological Model,16 postulating that cf-CBT targets the individual level, PST targets the interpersonal level (i.e., relationships with parents) and CM targets the organizational level (i.e., linkages to medical, school, and other services). They have also worked to amplify each component, noting in previous trials that concussive symptoms, sleep and HRQoL improved significantly in the intervention group compared to usual care, without a concomitant improvement in headache. In response, they increased the focus on skills for managing headache in the cf-CBT and PST components, with the guidance of a pain psychologist. They also increased the rigor and structure of all components with greater oversight regarding delivery and duration. The next step is to assess the separate contribution of each different leveled component (cf-CBT, PST and CM) to determine their impact on youth and parent outcomes.

The investigators propose to conduct an optimization trial with the CC approach for youth with PPCS, utilizing a highly efficient analytic approach, the multiphase optimization strategy (MOST).The design will be factorial, with three components (cf-CBT, PST and CM) each with two levels (present or absent). They will recruit adolescents aged 11-18 with PPCS lasting at least 1 month from outpatient clinics, randomizing families to one of 8 groups to assess all combinations of treatment components. Families will participate in sessions virtually and complete surveys at 3, 6 and 12 months to measure proximal and distal outcomes. They will examine potential mechanisms of action for each component and explore differential effectiveness across baseline factors via moderation. They will sample youth from two distinct geographic regions to enhance diversity and improve generalizability.

Aim 1. Determine which components of the CC approach (cf-CBT, PST and CM) contribute significantly to improvements in distal outcomes, particularly concussive symptoms and youth HRQoL, among a diverse sample of youth with PPCS.

1a. Examine the effect of intervention components on proximal outcomes including youth headache, mood and sleep, and parental distress regarding their child's illness.

Aim 2. Assess potential mediation of intervention component effects by postulated mechanistic factors including improvements in a) youth self-efficacy, b) parental protectiveness and c) parental self-efficacy regarding navigating their child's concussion care.

Aim 3. Explore moderation of intervention component effects by demographic (parental education level, youth race/ethnicity, youth sex) and clinical factors (youth depression and level of parent emotional distress).

The proposed study will advance concussion research by continuing to refine an evidence-based intervention for youth with PPCS that addresses mental health, while engaging both parents and youth. It will also elucidate the scientific understanding of how the intervention works, and for whom. The end product of this research will be a PPCS intervention optimized for effectiveness and efficiency that will form the basis for a future hybrid implementation effectiveness trial.