Mental health and wellbeing

There is a wide range of mental health and wellbeing problems that can affect young people for many different reasons.

In the sport and activity sector we need to recognise that taking part in sport can have both a positive and negative influence on a young person’s mental health and wellbeing and try to minimise the risks where possible.

Barriers

There are barriers that young people experiencing mental health and wellbeing problems may find hard to overcome when taking part in sport. These include:

• body image issues – young people can feel worried about their physical appearance
• disordered eating or eating disorders – some young people experiencing these may be too physically unwell to take part, or performance pressures may be part of their illness
• social isolation or anxiety – young people might feel they can’t participate alongside other team members, despite wanting to take part in the sport itself
• the side effects of medication can include things like excess sweating, lethargy or weight gain or loss

Unique stressors in sport

We’re now beginning to realise that there are some stressors that can affect young people that are unique to sport. These can be even more pronounced where elite athletes are concerned.

Some of the things that should be taken into consideration are:

• the pressure to perform
• comparisons with peers around ability, appearance or popularity
• maintaining, gaining, losing or ‘making’ weight to qualify or feel accepted in the sport
• the strain of finding, maintaining or potentially losing sponsorship or contracts
• an increased risk of online or cyber bullying, due to their raised profile
• dealing with media scrutiny and a lack of privacy
• balancing personal and professional commitments
• maintaining healthy relationships with peers
• coping with the transitions between grassroots to elite level sport and into retirement, either planned or unplanned
• the fear of injury and being put out of the game or forced to retire
• managing the emotional highs and lows of sporting careers
• sport being tied strongly with an individual’s identity – the risk here becomes apparent when young people leave sport and can feel a loss of this identity

The benefits of sport

We all know that taking part in physical activity releases endorphins, which have a positive effect on our mental health and wellbeing.  It has also been shown that being active can give people a new focus, a sense of achievement, better sleep patterns and help build new relationships with others.

The Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine UK has recently written a position statement to state their belief that physical activity can and should be used as a form of treatment for certain mental health and wellbeing problems.

Therefore, it’s more important than ever that sports and activities make their sessions as accessible to those with mental health and wellbeing problems as they are to those with physical disabilities.

There are several things that sports organisations can do to contribute towards the ongoing mental wellbeing of their participants, as well as supporting those experiencing mental health problems.

Creating a healthy environment

Sports organisations should always aim to create environments where young people feel safe and supported. This could include:

• all staff being trained in basic mental health awareness with an ability to use the correct language and challenge discrimination
• all staff having a general understanding of the pressures that young people might face as a result of competitive sport
• a welcoming, inclusive club that treats everyone from all race, faiths, genders and any other demographic markers, as an individual with their own needs
• safeguarding leads that feel confident they could identify and refer young people who are experiencing suicidal thoughts and feelings
• challenge and address instances of poor negative, aggressive, racist, homophobic, transphobic or sexist bullying behaviour amongst young people
• staff that ask how young people feel about taking part, listen to their answers and offer help and support if needed
• an organisation that respects its members and their feeling
• a healthy competitiveness that embraces personal development as well as results or wins
• promoting the details of mental health support services and making them available to young people (see the 'Resources' tab)
• staff that know where and how to raise any serious concerns about a young person’s wellbeing, including internal reporting procedures, the NSPCC helpline and the police – if they believe a young person is at an immediate risk of harm

Supportive coaching

A coach is likely to have more direct contact with young people than some of the other volunteers or staff involved in the sport or activity.

It’s therefore important to make sure that these interactions between the coach and the young person are conducive to their mental health and wellbeing.

Some ways to do this are to:

• seek an understanding of mental health and wellbeing, through training or research
• demonstrate a positive attitude towards talking and openness about issues such as diet, exercise and social interaction
• learn about the effects that mental health and wellbeing problems or treatment can have on a young person’s willingness or ability to take part
• listen to young people about what they feel capable of doing at different stages of their development and make changes where possible
• encourage physical activity as part of a healthy lifestyle
• learn about strategies such as resilience and building self-esteem that can help young people with mental health problems to recover

Changes in organisational policies

Part of creating a healthy environment for young people means making sure that staff, volunteers, young people and parents all feel equipped to look after the mental health and wellbeing of those taking part in the sport.

This can be addressed by having clear policies in place, by either supporting your safeguarding policy with a mental health and wellbeing statement, or adding mental health and wellbeing guidance into your existing safeguarding policy. Your policy statement must be seen in practice so ensure that your systems match what you say in your policy. 

This statement or policy should be promoted and made available to all. This should help to encourage young people with mental health and wellbeing problems to take up, or carry on, enjoying sport as part of an active lifestyle.  

Through this statement or policy your organisation can demonstrate your commitment to protecting the mental health and wellbeing of the young people taking part in your sport or activity and what that will look like in practice, including how to deal with concerns or reports of self-harm or suicidal thoughts and feelings.

The following resources can help you to support children and young people's mental health and wellbeing. 

CPSU resources

• Addressing self-harming behaviour – CPSU briefing paper
• Addressing suicidal thoughts and feelings – CPSU briefing paper 
• Body image, weight management and disordered eating in sport - CPSU 5 part podcast mini-series
• Eating disorders and disordered eating – CPSU webinar
• Sample mental wellbeing statement – CPSU sample statement 

Support and resources for coaches, staff and volunteers

• Child mental health - information from NSPCC Learning
• NSPCC helpline (tel: 0808 800 5000) – if you’re worried about a child, even if you're unsure, contact the NSPCC’s professional counsellors for help, advice and support
• Breaking the stigma around mental health – a video by Everglow Health and Wellbeing
• English Institute of Sport – EIS works with elite athletes to improve performance and athlete wellbeing
• Hungry for gold videos – International Olympic Committee guidance about healthy body image
• Inspire Sports Hub - wellbeing in sport hub from Sport NI 
• Mental Health Charter for Sport and Recreation – from the Sport and Recreation Alliance with the support of Mind
• Mind Regional Networks – bring together organisations from across the sport, physical activity and mental health sectors  
• Sport, physical activity and mental health – guidance for sports providers from Mind
• Sport and physical activity for people with mental health problems: a toolkit for the sports sector – from Mind 
• Taking care of yourself – Mind 
• Tips for coaches video – Mind with UK Coaching and Public Health England
• Tackle your feelings video – a mental wellbeing campaign featuring the Ulster rugby players
• Understanding the effects of COVID-19 upon athlete mental health - Sport Resolutions
• Wellbeing resources for coaches - from UK Coaching

Mental health awareness training

• Mental health awareness for sport and physical activity - from UK Coaching, Mind, 1st4Sport and Sport England.
• Rethink mental health training 
• Zero Suicide Alliance – free suicide prevention training

Support services for children and young people

• Childline (tel: 0800 1111) – information and support line for young people
• Child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) – information for young people
• Mind – Information for young people 
• Samaritans (tel: 116 123) – 24-hour confidential listening and support for anyone who needs it
• State of Mind Sport – support for athletes, and advice on taking care of your mental wellbeing
• Shout (text 'Shout' to 85258) – a place to go if you’re struggling to cope and you need immediate help
• The Mix (tel: 0808 808 4994) – information, support and listening line (24 hours) for people under 25
• Young Minds – information and sign-posting to mental health support for young people and parents