Test-Retest Reliability of Computerized Neurocognitive Testing in Youth Ice Hockey Players

• Published in: Archives of clinical neuropsychology Vol. 31; no. 4; pp. 305 - 312
• Main Authors: Womble, Melissa N, Reynolds, Erin, Schatz, Philip, Shah, Kishan M, Kontos, Anthony P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Oxford University Press 01.06.2016
• Subjects: Adolescent; Age Factors; Athletic Injuries - complications; Chi-Square Distribution; Child; Cognition Disorders - diagnosis; Cognition Disorders - etiology; Cohort Studies; Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted; Female; Hockey - injuries; Humans; Male; Memory, Short-Term - physiology; Neuropsychological Tests; Original Empirical; Reaction Time - physiology; Reproducibility of Results; Retrospective Studies; Trauma Severity Indices; Verbal Learning - physiology; Practice effects/reliable change; Statistical methods; Traumatic brain injury; Head injury
• ISSN: 0887-6177; 1873-5843
• DOI: 10.1093/arclin/acw011

Computerized neurocognitive tests are frequently used to assess pediatric sport-related concussions; however, only 1 study has focused on the test-retest reliability of the Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT) in high school athletes and age influences have largely been ignored. Therefore, the purpose was to investigate the test-retest reliability of ImPACT and underlying age influences in a pediatric population. Two hundred (169 men and 31 women) youth ice hockey players completed ImPACT before/after a 6-month season. Reliability was assessed using Pearson correlation coefficients, intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), and regression-based methods (RBz). ICCs for the sample ranged from .48 to .75 (single)/.65 to .86 (average). In general, the older athletes (15-18: Single/Average ICCs = .35-.75/.52-.86) demonstrated greater reliability across composites than the younger athletes (11-14: Single/Average ICCs = .54-.63/.70-.77). Although there was variation in athletes' performance across two test administrations, RBz revealed that only a small percentage of athletes performed beyond 80%, 90%, and 95% confidence intervals. Statistical metrics demonstrated reliability coefficients for ImPACT composites in a pediatric sample similar to previous studies, and also revealed important age-related influences.