Revised Dual Task Screen is a Valid Measure of Dual Task Performance: Developing a Motor and Cognitive Dual Task Measure with Healthy Female Athletes

• Published in: Occupational therapy in health care 2025-01, Vol.ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print), p.1-15
• Main Authors: Giessler-Gonzalez, Kalena, Tracy, Brian, Davies, Patricia L., Stephens, Jaclyn A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Athletes; Athletic Injuries; Brain Concussion - physiopathology; Cognition - physiology; dual task assessment; Female; Humans; measure development; Neuropsychological Tests; occupational therapy; Pilot Projects; Reproducibility of Results; Sports-related concussion; Task Performance and Analysis; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0738-0577; 1541-3098; 1541-3098
• DOI: 10.1080/07380577.2023.2191280

Multitasking measures, such as dual task assessments, are particularly useful in detecting subtle deficits that can influence occupational performance after injuries, like sports-related concussion (SRC). In past work, our research team developed and revised a dual task assessment, the Dual Task Screen (DTS). Here, we evaluated nineteen healthy athletes using the revised DTS to address two specific research objectives. First, to replicate pilot study findings and demonstrate that the revised DTS is sensitive to dual task motor costs (i.e. poorer motor performance under dual task conditions, compared to single task conditions). Second, to evaluate if the revised DTS is sensitive to dual task cognitive costs (i.e. poorer cognitive performance under dual task conditions, compared to single task conditions). We confirmed that the revised DTS was sensitive to both dual task motor and cognitive costs; thus it is a valid measure of dual task performance. These positive findings support its prospective, future use by occupational therapists to evaluate multitasking performance after injuries, like SRC, or other injuries and illnesses that elicit deficits affecting optimal occupational performance.