Amelia Gulliver|Kathleen M Griffiths|Helen Christensen|Andrew Mackinnon|Alison L. Calear|Alison Parsons|Kylie Bennett|Philip J. Batterham|Rosanna Stanimirovic
Internet-Based Interventions to Promote Mental Health Help-Seeking in Elite Athletes: An Exploratory Randomized Controlled Trial
Australian National University|Australian National University|Australian National University|Orygen Youth Health|University of Melbourne|Australian National University|Australian National University|Australian National University|Australian National University
mental disorders common young adults life stage despite young people low rates seeking professional help mental health problems young elite athletes less positive attitudes toward seeking help nonathletes thus may particularly unlikely seek help interventions aimed increasing helpseeking young elite athletes warrantedto test feasibility efficacy three internetbased interventions designed increase mental health helpseeking attitudes intentions behavior young elite athletes compared control conditionwe conducted randomized controlled trial rct three brief fully automated internetbased mental health helpseeking interventions 59 young elite athletes recruited online closed trial australia interventions consisted mental health literacy destigmatization condition feedback condition providing symptom levels minimal content condition comprising list helpseeking resources compared control condition intervention measured helpseeking attitudes intentions behavior using selfassessed surveys participation open elite athletes regardless mental health status risk mental illnessof 120 athletes initially agreeing participate 59 49 submitted preintervention postintervention survey included present study adherence satisfactory 48 81 participants visiting weeks assigned intervention material none interventions yielded significant increase helpseeking attitudes intentions behavior relative control however postintervention trend toward greater increase helpseeking behavior formal sources mental health literacydestigmatization condition compared control p 06 intervention also associated increased depression literacy p 003 p 005 anxiety literacy p 002 p 001 relative control postintervention 3month followup respectively reduction depression stigma relative control postintervention p 01 p 12 anxiety stigma 3month followup p 18 p 02 feedback helpseeking list interventions improve depression anxiety literacy decrease stigmatizing attitudes conditions however study findings treated caution due recruitment challenges achieved sample size fell significantly short target size study underpowered accordingly results considered providing preliminary pilot data onlythis first rct internetbased mental health helpseeking intervention young elite athletes results suggest brief mental health literacy destigmatization improves knowledge may decrease stigma increase helpseeking however since trial underpowered larger trial warranted2009373 wwwclinicaltrialsgov id nct00940732 cited httpwwwwebcitationorg5ymsrly9r