Why the study?
Athletes are at risk for mental health problems, yet validated brief screening tools accounting for stress and resilience, as well as dedicated athlete-specific digital platforms for psychological screening and tracking, are lacking.
Highlights the potential of a hybrid model of care combining face-to-face and digital mental health solutions for athletes.
May support hybrid prevention strategies in athletes; leaves open prospective validation before practice change.
Athletes are an at-risk subpopulation for mental health problems. However, a subgroup of high-level athletes displayed a resilience that helped them to positively adjust after a period of overwhelming stress. Further consideration of stress and adjustments in brief screening tools is recommended to validate this finding. There is an unrealized potential for broadening the scope of mental health, especially symptom and disorder interpretation. Digital platforms for psychological screening and tracking have been widely used among general populations, but there is yet to be an eminent athlete version. Sports in combination with mental health education should address the barriers to help-seeking by increasing awareness, from mental ill-health to positive functioning. A hybrid model of care is recommended, combining traditional face-to-face approaches along with innovative and evaluated digital technologies, that may be used in prevention and early intervention strategies.
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Balcombe et al. (2020) studied this question.