643 MEP088 – Does an improved understanding of mental health lead to effective engagement with support? An explorative study of mental illness prevention through awareness-raising in elite sport

AbstractBackground This abstract considers potential consequences (particularly athlete mental health referrals) of mental health awareness training (MHAT) delivered to Olympic and Paralympic sports since 2018. Objective Test the hypothesis that increased MHAT delivery shows a positive association with the number of athletes referred for mental health interventions.A secondary research question was whether earlier intervention is associated with the prevention of high-cost, complex mental health problems.Design Retrospective, explorative study, tracking MHAT delivery data and athlete mental health referral data.Setting UK World Class Programmes within Olympic and Paralympic sports.Participants Funded athletes from Olympic and Paralympic sports.Interventions MHAT delivery (2018–2023) and athlete mental health referrals (2017–2023). Main Outcome Measurements The hypothesis and research question emerged during data collection. The number of MHAT sessions delivered, alongside the number of mental health referrals and average cost per annum.Results171 MHAT sessions were delivered (2018–2023).The total number of referrals have increased year-on-year from 2017 (77) to 2023 (221).Following an increase in average costs per claim between 2017 (£1,092) and 2018 (£1,412) the average cost per claim has decreased year-on-year (except the year post-covid-19 outbreak), to £1,034 (2023).Conclusions Whilst causation cannot be established with the available data, an association can be observed between the delivery of MHAT and an increase in mental health referrals, as well as a decrease in average cost over time. The results suggest that an elite sport system educated in MHAT could become more efficient at engaging athletes in early intervention and more cost-effective treatment. This could lead to the prevention of complex mental health illness, reducing cost and long-term absence from sport. This explorative study shows a clear need for additional research on the preventative impact of MHAT in Olympic and Paralympic sport.