Introduction Athletes` mental health has become an increasingly important area of concern. Recent studies have highlighted a comparable or heightened vulnerability to mental health issues among athletes compared to the general population (Kegelaers et al., 2022). Mental health literacy has emerged as a pivotal factor influencing athletes' willingness to seek support during mental health challenges (Bu et al., 2020). This research assesses the reliability and validity of a novel, sports-specific brief tool designed to measure mental health literacy among athletes. Additionally, the study aims to evaluate athletes' mental health literacy alongside other mental health indicators. Methods The new sports-specific instrument for measuring athletes` mental health literacy consists of 12 items referring to the general knowledge of mental health and ill-health; knowledge and attitudes concerning mental health risks, resources, and help-seeking strategies; and stigmatising attitudes and belief. An online survey comprising this new tool, other instruments measuring mental health literacy and other mental health metrics was created for this study. A sample of 232 talented and elite athletes aged between 18 and 25 participated in the study. Data analysis encompassed testing the instrument's factorial structure, internal consistency, reliability, and validity. Results The recently created mental health literacy scale specific to the context showed sufficient reliability and validity in evaluating athletes' mental health literacy. Furthermore, athletes' mental health literacy scores were associated with their overall mental health status, suggesting lower literacy was linked to poorer mental health. In addition, some differences in mental health outcomes appeared between male and female athletes with female athletes showing higher levels of anxiety and depression. Conclusions This study demonstrated that the newly developed mental health literacy scale tailored to the sports context is an effective tool for evaluating athletes` mental health literacy. The findings about athletes` mental health outcomes add to the increasing understanding of mental health in sports and emphasize the importance of customized assessments for this particular group as well as interventions aiming to improve their mental health literacy.
© Copyright 2024 10th International scientific conference on kinesiology. Book of abstracts. Veröffentlicht von University of Zagreb, Faculty of Kinesiology. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.