Author(s): TAYLOR, N., SPAGNOLI, O., BEAN, C., GORCZYNSKI, P., VELLA, S., SULLIVAN, P., Institution: BROCK UNIVERSITY , Country: CANADA, Abstract-ID: 1535

Asset-based approaches that equip individuals with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to prevent mental health problems and promote well-being are particularly important for elite athletes. High-performance sport has traditionally addressed mental health through individual-level deficits such as mental illnesses, however, contemporary research advocates for cultivating assets in addition to reducing detriments (Whiting et al., 2012). Despite this shift, empirical research examining mental health assets among high performance athletes remains limited in Canadian contexts. Therefore, this study measured mental health assets among Canadian national team athletes (Olympic n = 62; Paralympic n = 14), including mental health literacy (Multicomponent Mental Health Literacy Measure; Sullivan et al., 2021; Jung et al., 2016), self-stigma (SSOSH; Vogel et al., 2006), and help-seeking intentions (GHSQ; Wilson et al., 2005). Independent samples t-tests revealed that males reported significantly lower MHL with respect to both knowledge and beliefs than females. White athletes showed significantly higher behavioral and knowledge-based MHL and lower self-stigma than racial minorities, and heterosexual athletes showed significantly lower levels of knowledge and belief-based MHL than athletes identifying as sexual minority. The results indicate that mental health literacy and stigma among elite Canadian athletes are not uniformly distributed assets, but are meaningfully shaped by race, gender, and sexual orientation. These findings complicate assumptions that asset-based approaches benefit athletes equally and suggest that mental health assets, particularly mental health literacy, are less prominent within various sociocultural contexts of high-performance sport. Accordingly, asset-based strategies must prioritize equity-informed initiatives responsive to athletes’ distinct sociocultural contexts.

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Sullivan, P., Murphy, J., & Blacker, M. (2021). The psychometric properties of the multicomponent mental health literacy measure with a sample of student athletes and student athletic therapists. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 33, 343–356. https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200.2019.1702119

Vogel, D. L., Wade, N. G., & Haake, S. (2006). Measuring the self-stigma associated with seeking psychological help. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 53(3), 325–337

Whiting, L., Kendall, S., & Wills, W. (2012). An asset-based approach: An alternative health promotion strategy? Community Practitioner, 85(1), 25–28.

Wilson, C. J., Deane, F. P., Ciarrochi, J., & Rickwood, D. (2005). Measuring help-seeking intentions: Properties of the General Help-Seeking Questionnaire. Canadian Journal of Counselling, 39(1), 15–28.