Athlete mental health support from coaches “under explored” in research amidst deselection concerns
Review of 104 studies shows little research focused on athletes’ access to mental health support or semi-formal sources such as coaches
2025-08-08
(Press-News.org) A paper published in BMJ Open today (Friday 8 August) led by researchers from the University of Birmingham highlights how few studies conducted into athlete help-seeking for mental health have looked into support provided by semi-formal sources such as coaches, with the majority of research conducted on formal sources.
The team reviewed 104 relevant studies conducted around the world and found that while many athletes experience mental health issues, they face unique sport-specific barriers when seeking help and guidance. The review mapped the research on athletes’ views on access to support, their attitudes toward seeking it, and their past experiences from formal and semi-formal sources of support.
Kirsty Brown, PhD student, from the University of Birmingham and lead researcher said:
“We know that athletes’ face specific barriers to seek help for mental health. By mapping the research on athletes’ views on access, attitudes and experiences of support, this research uncovers more about the process of help-seeking in athletes, and where further research is required.”
“Our new research highlights that while there is a growing academic understanding of how sports people experience mental health support, there are still unexplored areas in the research that leaves many questions unanswered about how athletes’ utilize formal and semi-formal sources of support. It is essential that these support networks understand the unique needs of athletes and are equipped to provide mental health support and signposting.”
Formal or semi-formal support?
Athletes may rely on coaches for semi-formal support with mental health despite stigma and deselection concerns, but a new study highlights little research has been conducted in this “crucial” area.
Most of the research focused on formal sources of support (55%) such as psychologists or counsellors, with only 2% of papers looking at athlete interactions with semi-formal support such as coaches or academic advisors. 26% both formal and semi-formal were looked at.
Attitudes to seeking help
Athletes’ attitudes to seeking support for their mental health was the most researched area among the studies that the team looked at, with 79% of papers investigated incorporating this question.
Notably, access was the least studied area with less than a third (32%) of papers investigating this issue, despite being a foundational factor in help-seeking behaviour.
Where next?
In addition, the study highlights gaps in studies looking at athlete help-seeking in lower-income and non-Western contexts, where cultural and structural barriers may differ. The team suggest that future research should also explore semi-formal sources of support more thoroughly, especially given their accessibility and potential influence on athletes’ willingness to seek help. Additionally, a more consistent use of validated help-seeking measures and established psychological help-seeking theories and frameworks would strengthen study comparability and impact.
Professor Jennifer Cumming from the University of Birmingham and senior lead author of the study said:
"This is important research to understand where more focus is needed. For us to have the best possible models of support for athletes, it’s important that we have a strong evidence base to work from.”
END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2025-08-08
A blink of an eye seems natural and instantaneous, but is it? Without a functioning eyelid, the eye can become dry, irritated and eventually lose the ability to see clearly.
Now, a team of UCLA biomechanical engineers and ophthalmologists has uncovered new details about the muscle that controls blinking, offering a pathway toward developing blink-assisting prostheses. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study found that the orbicularis oculi — the muscle that controls eyelid movement — contracts in complex patterns that vary by action and move the eyelid in more than just a simple up-and-down motion.
The researchers studied how ...
2025-08-08
(Santa Barbara, Calif.) — Touchdown airbursts — a type of cosmic impact that may be more common than the crater-forming, dinosaur-killing kind — remain somewhat less understood. UC Santa Barbara Earth Science Emeritus Professor James Kennett and collaborators continue to make the case that these high-energy events deserve closer attention.
“Touchdown events can cause extreme damage through very high temperatures and pressures,” Kennett said. “And yet they don’t necessarily form a crater, or they form ephemeral surface disturbances, but they’re ...
2025-08-08
(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — A new study in the International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health finds parents’ workplace chemical exposure may be linked to a range of behavioral challenges and developmental delays in their children with autism.
Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition that is marked by challenges with social skills, communication struggles and repetitive behaviors. Autism traits can vary widely in how mild or strong they are.
“Past research explored the impact of environmental factors on the likelihood of a child developing autism,” said Irva ...
2025-08-08
Yale Study: Mobile Phone App Reduced Suicidal Behavior Among High-Risk Patients
August 08, 2025
by Christopher Gardner
A mobile phone app designed to deliver suicide-specific therapy reduced suicidal behavior among high-risk psychiatric inpatients, according to a new study by scientists at Yale School of Medicine and The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine.
The study, published Aug. 8, 2025 in JAMA Network Open, found that the app, OTX-202, reduced the recurrence ...
2025-08-08
‘A tipping point’: An update from the frontiers of Alzheimer’s disease research
One-third of people older than 85 in the United States are estimated to live with Alzheimer’s disease today, according to the National Institute on Aging. The condition’s characteristic long, slow decline places an enormous burden on families and on society. While the need for new treatments is urgent, Alzheimer’s is a complex disease that requires multidisciplinary research across a wide range of specialties.
In a new article led by Yale’s Amy Arnsten, researchers from across numerous disciplines share an ...
2025-08-08
Key takeaways
Heavy use of antibiotics has led to bacterial strains that resist them, making some infections difficult to treat. Copper antimicrobials are increasingly used to reduce the emergence of resistant strains.
New research shows that heavy use of copper leads to the evolution of copper-resistant E. coli bacteria that can also resist antibiotic drugs.
Fortunately, when the use of copper is stopped, bacteria quickly revert to a less-resistant state, suggesting that alternating copper with other antimicrobials could be as effective without driving resistance.
Copper has emerged as an ally in the battle against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Copper sulfate ...
2025-08-08
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — New computer simulations that model every atom of a protein as it folds into its final three-dimensional form support the existence of a recently identified type of protein misfolding. Proteins must fold into precise three-dimensional shapes — called their native state — to carry out their biological functions. When proteins misfold, they can lose function and, in some cases, contribute to disease. The newly spotted misfolding results in a change to a protein’s structure — either a loop that traps another section of the protein ...
2025-08-08
For more than 30 years, scientists have studied how the myogenic determination gene number 1 (MYOD) protein binds DNA to modify the gene expression of muscle stem cells. Similar to the instant kung fu education Keanu Reeves downloaded in “The Matrix,” MYOD plugs into muscle stem cell DNA and reprograms the cells to build muscle.
MYOD also comes to the rescue when muscle tissue needs to be repaired after injury or to restore minor damage that occurs with athletic training or other physical activity. The transcription factor rallies nearby muscle stem cells to expand in number and become muscle ...
2025-08-08
COLUMBUS, Ohio – People’s perceptions of the world are easily impacted by the angle at which they view objects in it, suggests a new study.
This finding, made by researchers from The Ohio State University, was revealed by testing people’s ability to estimate the steepness of a hill. The study, recently published in the journal Perception, showed that most people, regardless of their visual orientation — or line of sight — will consistently overestimate its steepness.
Dennis Shaffer, lead author of the study and a professor of psychology at The Ohio State University’s Mansfield campus, said his team’s research aimed to understand ...
2025-08-08
In the wake of a wildfire, there’s often an assumption that burned landscapes will be more susceptible to landslides. But new research from the University of Oregon suggests it’s not always that simple.
An analysis of the Columbia River Gorge, which runs along the border between Oregon and Washington, shows that steep, rocky watersheds in that area have been prone to debris flows and rockfall for thousands of years. Those events didn’t measurably increase after the Eagle Creek Fire, which scorched 47,000 acres of the gorge over the course of three months in 2017.
UO ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Athlete mental health support from coaches “under explored” in research amidst deselection concerns
Review of 104 studies shows little research focused on athletes’ access to mental health support or semi-formal sources such as coaches
