Mental health literacy, mental health experiences and help-seeking behaviours of Chinese elite athletes: a qualitative study

Elite athletes' help-seeking on mental health might be influenced by their mental health literacy (MHL) and mental health experiences. The current study aimed to explore the MHL, experiences and help-seeking behaviours among elite athletes using a qualitative approach. Face-to-face semi-structu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers in public health 2024-05, Vol.12, p.1391597
Main Authors: Bu, Danran, Zhang, Chun-Qing, Liu, Jing-Dong, Han, Zhe, Wang, Xiang, Huang, Zhijian
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
a qualitative study
Adolescent
Adult
Athletes - psychology
China
Chinese elite athletes
East Asian People
Female
Health Literacy
help-seeking
Help-Seeking Behavior
Humans
Interviews as Topic
Male
Mental Health
mental health experiences
mental health literacy
Public Health
Qualitative Research
Young Adult
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Summary:Elite athletes' help-seeking on mental health might be influenced by their mental health literacy (MHL) and mental health experiences. The current study aimed to explore the MHL, experiences and help-seeking behaviours among elite athletes using a qualitative approach. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted among 20 Chinese elite athletes, 12 coaches, and 5 team officials. Interview data was analyzed using content analysis. Seven main themes emerged from the analysis. The current study revealed that Chinese elite athletes suffered from various mental health issues and athletes' MHL levels, help-seeking attitudes and intentions, Chinese sports environments, and Chinese cultural background could impact their help-seeking behaviours. Support for Chinese elite athletes' mental health and help-seeking requires improvement.
ISSN:2296-2565
2296-2565
DOI:10.3389/fpubh.2024.1391597