The Elite Athlete Mental Health Strategy Trial

Mental Health Help-Seeking Clinical Trial

— TEAMS  

Official title:

The Elite Athlete Mental Health Strategy: A Randomised Controlled Trial of an Online Intervention for the Mental Health Help-Seeking of Elite Athletes

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT00940732
• Other study ID #: 2009/373
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• First received: July 15, 2009
• Last updated: June 24, 2015
• Start date: November 2009
• Est. completion date: October 2011

Study information

• Verified date: June 2015
• Source: Australian National University
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Health authority: Australia: The Australian National University Human Research Ethics Committee
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine whether positive mental health help-seeking attitudes, and behaviour in elite athletes can be increased through an online intervention.

Description:

Mental disorders account for approximately 30% of the non-fatal disease burden in Australia, with the most prevalent disorders of depression, anxiety and substance use disorders experienced by 18% of the population in any single year. These disorders are significantly more common in young adulthood than at any other stage in the lifespan. Despite the availability of effective treatments for many disorders, this high susceptibility in young people is coupled with low rates of seeking professional help. As elite athletes have been found to have less positive attitudes towards seeking help for mental health issues, and they are most often young adults themselves, they may be even less likely than non-athletes to utilise professional services. Although there is a strong relationship between exercise and positive mental health, the prevalence of mental disorders in elite athletes is currently not known. A literature review of the general literature on help seeking and a series of focus groups with elite athletes from the Australian Institute of Sport conducted by the current research group in 2008, suggested that help-seeking by these athletes might be increased by improving their knowledge about mental health, reducing stigma, and providing feedback about the symptoms of common mental disorders.

The current project was designed to test these possibilities utilising an online format. The Elite Athlete Mental health Strategy (TEAMS) project comprises two phases: (1) a large scale survey of the mental health status of elite athletes; (2) a randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of three interventions designed to increase help seeking attitudes and help seeking behaviours related to mental disorders in elite athletes. These three interventions are: destigmatisation and mental health literacy; feedback; and a help-seeking list of resources. The study aims to compare the effectiveness of these three interventions relative to each other and a control condition.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 59
• Est. completion date: October 2011
• Est. primary completion date: October 2011
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: Both
• Age group: 18 Years and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Invited through sports organisation

• Elite athlete

• Able to read English

Exclusion Criteria:

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Open Label

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Mental Health Help-Seeking

Intervention

Other:
• Destigmatisation and Mental Health Literacy
Written material delivered over 2 weeks via the Internet, including "mythbusters", debunking common myths around anxiety and depression, as well information about a range of celebrities who have identified themselves as having depression or anxiety. Also contains mental health literacy information.
• Help-seeking list
List of sources for mental health help-seeking delivered over 2 weeks.
• Feedback
Written material delivered over 2 weeks via the Internet, including two short self-report measures (Goldberg Anxiety, Goldberg Depression), which will provide feedback to the participant about levels of depression and anxiety.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Australia	The Centre for Mental Health Research, The Australian National University	Canberra	Australian Capital Territory

Sponsors (2)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Amelia Gulliver	Australian Institute of Sport

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Australia, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Help-seeking attitudes (Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help: Shortened Form, ATSPPH-SF)		Baseline, post, 3 month, and 6 month follow-up	No
Secondary	Help-seeking behaviour, and Help-seeking intentions (General Help-Seeking Questionnaire, GHSQ)		Baseline, post, 3 month, and 6 month follow-up	No