The survey conducted by NUI Galway spoke with young players aged between 13-25 in clubs around the country.
Over 40 per cent of male players wrongly believed that they could overcome the effects of concussion by playing on.
The study, published in the International Journal of Adolescent Mental Health, found more than 50 per cent weren't aware of key symptoms of concussion. The authors of the study stated that "results from this study indicated participants lack a complete understanding of concussion, as common misconceptions about it prevailed."
The worrying statistics showed many GAA players believed the symptoms of concussion could be "toughed out".
Dr. Bennett Omalu, the man Will Smith played in the popular movie Concussion, brought findings to the NFL regarding the appearance of CTE in the brains of former NFL players, which has seen increased attention being paid to the the worrying side effects and potential fatal results of playing on after suffering a head injury.
Omalu was on the George Hook show recently discussing Johnny Sexton's issues with concussion, while Mayo GAA were caught up in a concussion controversy of their own when they let Lee Keegan play on having suffered a trauma to the head.
He was removed from the game eventually but the lack of awareness out there has been brought to the fore by the recent study.
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