Youth sport as a context for supporting mental health: Adolescent male perspectives

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2017.11.008Get rights and content

Highlights

  • •

    We explored adolescent males' perspectives of mental health in youth sport.

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    Fifty five adolescent males aged 12–17 participated in 16 focus groups.

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    Sport was perceived to be a positive avenue for supporting mental health.

  • •

    Coaches and family were considered to play important roles in mental health.

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    Results can inform development and implementation of future interventions.

Abstract

Objectives

The prevalence of mental health problems among adolescents is alarmingly high. With lower rates of accessing services than young women, young men and boys represent a group at high risk of developing mental health problems. Organised sport represents one important, but under-studied, avenue for supporting mental health. This study aimed to explore adolescent males' perspectives on sport as a context for supporting mental health.

Design

Interpretivist qualitative design.

Method

Participants were 55 adolescent males aged 12–17 years (M = 14.73; SD = 1.67) who were currently participating in organised basketball, soccer, Australian Rules Football, swimming, cricket, or tennis. Sixteen focus groups were conducted which lasted, on average, 48 min (SD = 9.25). Data were analysed inductively and thematically, with strategies employed to enhance rigour and trustworthiness.

Results

Findings indicated that these adolescent males perceived sport to be an engaging vehicle for supporting mental health, particularly in teams, and through interest in elite athletes' mental health. They considered coaches and parents/family to be key support individuals. In addition, these adolescents expressed a need to know how to help individuals close to them who may be struggling with a mental health issue. Finally, the participants perceived the need for resources to prevent and cope with mental health issues.

Conclusion

This study suggests that sport is a promising, and potentially engaging avenue for supporting mental health. Adolescents perceive need for clubs, parents, and coaches to develop knowledge around mental health, and in particular, desire strategies for providing help.

Section snippets

Mental health models

As mental health is more than the absence of mental illness (Keyes, 2002), “traditional public mental health interventions that are effective in alleviating mental illness do not necessarily promote mental health” (Fledderus, Bohlmeijer, Smit, & Westerhof, 2010, p. 2372). Such risk-reduction models include a focus on the prevention and early intervention of mental health problems, and are typified in approaches such as mental health literacy (Jorm, 2000). Complementary to risk-reduction models

Youth sport and mental health

One important social setting with great potential for supporting mental health is participation in organised sport (e.g., Hajkowicz, Cook, Wilhelmseder, & Boughen, 2013). Organised sport can be defined as an activity that involves: physical exertion and/or a physical skill; a structured or organised setting for training and/or competition that is provided by a club or association; competition against others; and, occurs outside of school hours (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2008). When

Approach

This study was grounded in an interpretivist philosophy, and a relativist ontology which assumes that individuals make multiple meanings of the social world based on their experiences in particular contexts and in relation to others (Thorpe & Olive, 2016). We were guided by constructionist epistemology which assumes that knowledge is constructed, subject to different interpretations, and mediated by values (Coyle et al., 2017). Hence researchers are involved in the production of knowledge,

Results

This study aimed to understand adolescent males' knowledge and experience of mental health, perceptions of organised youth sport as a vehicle for supporting mental health, and their preferences/perceptions regarding interventions to support mental health in organised youth sport. Six dimensions emerged from the analysis which represented adolescent males' perceptions of: (i) knowledge and experience of mental health; (ii) the connection between sport and mental health; (iii) coaches and mental

Discussion

This study sought to understand adolescent males' knowledge and experience of mental health, their perceptions of organised youth sport as an avenue for supporting mental health, and their perceived needs and preferences regarding interventions to promote mental health in organised youth sport. Key findings were that adolescent males perceived sport could be an engaging setting for supporting mental health (e.g., compared to school), and considered key individuals in supporting mental health to

Acknowledgement

This research was funded by a Movember Foundation Australian Mental Health Initiative grant.

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