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Centre for Health Psychology Practice and Research (CHPPR)

Global Alliance for Mental Health and Sport

Overview

The Global Alliance for Mental Health and Sports (GAMeS) is the home for innovative and world leading research, implementation, and knowledge translation initiatives to increase psychological safety, mental health and wellbeing in sport. This is in service of the GAMeS vision, which is for every sport program around the world to protect and enhance the mental health and wellbeing of everybody involved. We also act as a global hub to connect sporting, research and government partners from around the world with each other, with world leading research, and with world’s best practice in mental health promotion in sport. The GAMeS group have led major global initiatives including the Ahead of the Game program (official program of the Rugby League World Cup 2021), and are global leaders in the development of mental health guidelines.

Theme leader

Dr Stewart Vella

Members

Research students

  • Jordan Sutcliffe
  • Sarah Liddle
  • Dominic Fernandez
  • Julia Siemsen
  • Brent Wilsmore
  • Monique Shipp
  • Angelina Lim

Alliance members

Movember

Lead researchers

University of Wollongong
Dr Stewart Vella

External 

  • Associate Professor Christian Swann (Southern Cross University)
  • Associate Professor Richard Keegan (University of Canberra)
  • Associate Professor Simon Rice (Univeristy of Melbourne)

Partners

Movember

Project Description

At a time when over half of all Australians participate in organised sports it is critical to ensure that these environments are psychologically safe and enhance mental health. The problem is that community sports clubs have no clear guidance on how to fulfil this substantial responsibility. There have been urgent calls for the development of psychological safety and mental health guidelines, which have yet to be answered. This project will deliver the mental health guidelines for community sports with national impact. When implemented, the guidelines will help sports clubs to provide a psychologically safe environment, and promote the mental health and wellbeing of all Australians involved in organised sports.

Indicative outcomes

Time for mental health care guidelines for recreational sports: A call to action. British Journal of Sports Medicine

Funding

  • Australian Research Council Discovery Project
  • Movember

Lead researchers

University of Wollongong

External
Associate Professor Christian Swann (Southern Cross University)

Partners

  • Movember
  • Rugby League World Cup 2021
  • Greater Toronto Hockey League
  • Harlequins Foundation
  • St Kilda Football Club
  • Fulham Football Club

Visit the websites

Project description

Ahead of the Game uses sport to teach athletes, parents and coaches how to talk about mental health. The program includes content on how to recognise mental health disorders, what to do and when to get help. Athletes learn how to build resilience and overcome challenges in sport and life. The program has undergone a large controlled trial and is currently being evaluated in a second, large randomised controlled trial. The program has been translated and scaled up across the globe, including as the official program of the Rugby League World Cup, 2021.

Indicative outcomes

Project description

The Global Alliance for Mental Health and Sport is a global hub to connect sporting, research and government partners from around the world with each other, with world leading research, and with world’s best practice in mental health promotion in sport. We help connect sporting clubs, governments, and other organisations with the best practice in mental health in sport from around the world, and provide advice and resources on how to engage in those practices. Get in touch to be a part of this worldwide alliance.

Partners

  • Movember
  • Southern Cross University

Project Description

Parents are active participants in their child’s involvement in organised sport. Indeed, parents spend a great deal of time facilitating and preparing their child for training and competition, and invest themselves financially and emotionally in their child’s success in sport. The problem is that it is unclear what kind of impact parents' involvement in organised sport is having on their mental health. For example, are the stressors of youth sport leading to psychologically distressed parents? Or is the enjoyment of watching your child compete and social support received from other parents predictors of increased wellbeing? This project aims to better understand how involvement in youth sport activities impacts parental mental health and wellbeing. Considering the number of families involved in organised sport, the findings from this project have the potential to benefit a large number of Australian parents. 

Indicative outcomes 

Youth sport participation and parental mental health

 

Resources