Barriers and facilitators to mental health help-seeking for young elite athletes: a qualitative study

BMC Psychiatry

Research Article

Kathleen M Griffiths¹  Amelia Gulliver¹  Helen Christensen¹ 

[1] Centre for Mental Health Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia;

关键词: Mental Health;    Focus Group;    Mental Health Problem;    Eating Disorder;    Mental Health Issue;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1471-244X-12-157

 received in 2012-01-23, accepted in 2012-09-18,  发布年份 2012

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundAdolescents and young adults experience a high level of mental disorders, yet tend not to seek help. Research indicates that there are many barriers and facilitators to help-seeking for young people in the general community. However there are limited data available for young elite athletes. This study aims to determine what young elite athletes perceive as the barriers and facilitators to help-seeking for common mental health problems.MethodsFifteen elite athletes aged 16–23 years each participated in one of three focus group discussions. In addition to written data, verbal responses were audio taped, transcribed and thematically analysed.ResultsParticipants’ written and verbal data suggested that stigma was the most important perceived barrier to seeking help for young elite athletes. Other notable barriers were a lack of mental health literacy, and negative past experiences of help-seeking. Facilitators to help-seeking were encouragement from others, having an established relationship with a provider, pleasant previous interactions with providers, the positive attitudes of others, especially their coach, and access to the internet.ConclusionsIntervention strategies for improving help-seeking in young elite athletes should focus on reducing stigma, increasing mental health literacy, and improving relations with potential providers.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Gulliver et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2012