Rosemary Purcell’s research while affiliated with University of Melbourne and other places

While research on mental health and wellbeing in elite sports has increased, there are few studies regarding models of care for responding to mental health needs in this population. The Australian Institute of Sport established the Mental Health Referral Network (MHRN) service in 2018, initially focused on mental health care for elite athletes only, but subsequently extended to include elite coaches, high-performance support staff and sports administration staff. This study used a convergent mixed-methods service evaluation to examine service users’ experiences with the care provided by the MHRN. The quantitative component comprised an online survey with n = 84 service users (athletes, coaches, high-performance support staff, and sports administration staff). The qualitative component comprised semi-structured interviews, analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis, with a subset of n = 20 athletes, coaches, and high-performance support staff. Service users indicated high satisfaction with the support received and valued the no-cost, timely access model of care provided by practitioners with expertise in elite sport. Most participants (88.3%) positively viewed the practitioners being external to (i.e., not affiliated with) their daily training environment. This helped alleviate concerns about mental health stigma, confidentiality breaches, and potential consequences of disclosing mental ill-health (e.g., deselection) within their sport settings. Service users also emphasized the need to consider longer-term pathways for more intensive support where necessary, in addition to considering the long-term sustainability of the MHRN to ensure continued access to support. Findings may inform sporting organizations in their decision-making about service delivery models and future service development activities.

Objective The need for clear and actionable guidelines for the promotion and protection of mental health in organised community sport has previously been identified. This study aimed to provide guidelines to promote and protect mental health in organised community sport in Australia. Methods Guideline development was informed by (1) systematic reviews of the evidence pertaining to existing mental health guidelines in sport and mental health interventions in community sport; (2) an expert Delphi consensus study and (3) key stakeholder input via focus groups. A Guideline Development Committee comprising experts and key stakeholder representatives articulated nine distinct guidelines. Results These guidelines address the areas of: mental health literacy training; mental health support pathways and processes; responding to mental health emergencies; responding to major events that may impact mental health; having a mental health plan in place; reducing stigmatising attitudes; appointing a dedicated mental health champion; coach education and promoting well-being within the organisation. Conclusions We provide guidance for promoting and protecting mental health in community sport. Monitoring uptake and measuring the effectiveness of the guidelines are important areas of future work to advance positive mental health for everybody involved in community sport.

Objectives Very little is known about the role of self-compassion on performing artists’ mental health. This project had two primary aims. First, was to examine the relationship between self-compassion and mental health among performing artists in dance, music, and acting. Second, was to test a brief compassion-based intervention to establish proof of concept for future work. Method Two sequential studies recruiting Australian performing artists were conducted. In Study 1, a cross-sectional online survey of performing artists explored patterns of association between self-compassion and mental health. In Study 2, participants engaged with a brief compassion-based intervention including an online workshop and daily meditation over 3 weeks. Descriptive pre-post data combined with thematic analysis of semi-structured interview transcripts identified performer perspectives of the compassion-based intervention. Results In Study 1, 211 participants were included in the final cross-sectional analysis, which showed that the intention to be self-compassionate was associated with lower symptoms of depression and anxiety, and higher wellbeing, even while controlling for several key demographic and risk factors (stress, alcohol use, and body appreciation). In Study 2, ten participants completed the intervention with medium-large improvements in self-compassion and small improvements in wellbeing and body appreciation. Qualitative data demonstrated that participants experienced self-compassion to be helpful, however fears of lowering standards existed. Participants feedback from this study can now directly inform future compassion-based interventions among performers. Conclusion While acknowledging the small sample size, these findings suggest that self-compassion may help performing artists manage various forms of internal, interpersonal, and environmental distress. These findings warrant progression to controlled evaluation of compassion-based interventions within larger samples of performing artists.

Crises in sport are not always performance-related, but there are various crises in the broader sport context that may have an impact on sport performance. This chapter examines the range of mental health crises or emergencies that can affect elite athletes and coaches, including suicidal ideation and self-harm, acute disturbances associated with alcohol or other substance use, and crises emerging from mental conditions such as anxiety, depressive, eating, and psychotic disorders. The applied part of the chapter focuses on dealing with mental crises in competitive events, including implementing emergency action plans. Specific crisis management strategies are also presented, taking into account the contexts in which emergencies emerge. The chapter concludes by considering how elite sports can foster a system to improve the mental health of elite athletes and prevent the likelihood of mental health crises emerging.

With the pronounced ongoing growth of global youth sports, opportunities for and participation of youth athletes on the world sports stage, including the Olympic Games, are expected to escalate. Yet, adolescence is a vulnerable period of development and inherently dynamic, with non-linear and asynchronous progression of physical, physiological, psychological and social attributes. These non-concurrent changes within and between individuals are accompanied by irregular and unpredictable threats and impediments. Likewise, the evident age-based criteria and conventional path for those youth athletes deemed eligible candidates for the Olympic Games are not well or consistently defined. Furthermore, the unstructured and largely varying policies and practices across the sporting International Federations specific to youth participation underscore the need to establish a contemporary universal paradigm that would enable elite youth athletes to navigate an individualised healthy pathway to personal, athletic and sport success. First, we reviewed and summarised key challenges facing elite youth athletes and the relevant evidence fundamental to facilitating and supporting central aspects of health and well-being, while empowering safe, sustainable and positive engagement during athletic and personal advancement and competition. Second, we developed and present a modern elite youth athlete model that emphasises a child-centred, practical framework with corresponding guidelines and recommendations to protect health and well-being while safely and favourably managing international sport competition. Our proposed evidence-informed paradigm will enable and support individualised pathways for healthy, well-rounded and sustainable positive engagement while achieving sport success for youth contending or aiming to compete at world-class international sporting events.

Background There is increasing recognition of the prevalence and risk factors for mental health symptoms and disorders among adult elite athletes, with less research involving elite youth athletes. This scoping review aimed to characterise the mental health and well-being of elite youth athletes who travel internationally and compete for their sport. Method Four databases were searched in March 2023. Inclusion criteria were studies with elite youth athlete populations (mean age 12–17 years) reporting mental health and well-being outcomes. Data from included studies were charted by outcome, and risk/protective factors identified. Results Searches retrieved 3088 records, of which 33 studies met inclusion criteria, encapsulating data from 5826 athletes (2538 males, 3288 females). The most frequently studied issue was disordered eating (k=16), followed by anxiety (k=7), depression (k=5) and mixed anxiety/depression (k=2). Caseness estimates (a symptom level where mental health treatment is typically indicated) for disordered eating were wide ranging (0%–14% for males; 11%–41% for females), whereas only two studies estimated caseness for depression (7% in a mixed-sex sample; 14% for males, 40% for females) and one for anxiety (8% for males, 28% for females). Common risk factors for mental ill-health included sex, athlete status (compared with non-athletes) and social/relationship factors (with coaches/parents/peers). Contradictory evidence was observed for elite/competition level, which was associated with higher and lower rates of disordered eating. Conclusion Further representative research into the mental health and well-being of elite youth athletes is needed to enhance understanding and guide prevention and intervention measures.

The transition into elite-level sport can expose young athletes to risk factors for mental ill-health, including increased performance expectations, stressors associated with becoming increasingly public figures, and changes in lifestyle demands, such as diet, training loads and sleep. Successful integration into elite-level sport requires athletes to quickly adapt to these newfound challenges and the norms and culture of the new sport setting, while developing relationships with teammates, coaches, and support staff. Despite these demands, the mental health experiences of athletes transitioning into elite-level sport have been largely neglected in sport psychology literature. This is reflected in the dearth of programs for supporting mental health during this career phase, particularly relative to retirement transition programs. In this article, we offer a preliminary framework for supporting athletes’ mental health during the transition into elite-level sport. This framework is based on holistic, developmental, and ecological perspectives. Our framework outlines a range of recommendations for promoting mental health and preventing mental ill-health, including individual-level, relational, sport-level, and sociocultural-level strategies. Key recommendations include preparing athletes for the challenges they are likely to face throughout their athletic careers, highlighting athletes’ competence earlier in their careers, developing supportive relationships in the sport setting, and fostering psychologically safe sporting cultures. Supporting mental health from earlier in the athletic career is likely to promote athletes’ overall wellbeing, support enjoyment and retention in sport, and encourage help-seeking.