Barriers and Facilitators to Mental Health Help-Seeking in Elite Gaelic Footballers Post-Injury: A Qualitative Study

• Published in: Research quarterly for exercise and sport Vol. 93; no. 3; pp. 488 - 503
• Main Authors: O'Keeffe, Sinéad, Ní Chéilleachair, Niamh, Campbell, Mark, O'Connor, Siobhán
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington Routledge 03.07.2022; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Barriers; Education; Focus Groups; GAA; Group Discussion; Help seeking behavior; Injuries; Mental disorders; Mental health; Negative Attitudes; psychology of injury; Qualitative research; stigma
• ISSN: 0270-1367; 2168-3824; 2168-3824
• DOI: 10.1080/02701367.2020.1865517

Purpose: Injury can exacerbate mental health issues in athletes. However, the prevalence of mental health issues is not equivalent to the rate of professional help-seeking, with reluctance to seek-help acknowledged as one of the greatest obstacles in efficient management of mental health issues. The current study aimed to examine perceived barriers and facilitators to professional mental health help-seeking in elite male and female Gaelic footballers post-injury. Methods: Male (n = 14) and female (n = 12) elite Gaelic footballers, with a history of moderate or severe injury, were recruited to participate in a focus group. Group discussions began with a written task where participants noted perceived barriers to help-seeking followed by a group discussion of these barriers. Following discussion, participants ranked identified barriers in order of those perceived as most important in stopping a player from seeking help when experiencing mental health issues post-injury. All three tasks were repeated for help-seeking facilitators. Focus groups were audiotaped, transcribed and thematically analyzed. Results: Lack of education, stigma, negative attitudes to help-seeking and accessibility issues were identified as key barriers to help-seeking among elite Gaelic footballers. Education, the attitudes and actions of others and accessibility were perceived as factors facilitating help-seeking. Conclusions: Given the negative psychological responses that can accompany injury, there is a need for facilitation and encouragement of help-seeking among players experiencing mental health issues post-injury. Interventions for reducing the barriers to help-seeking identified in the current study are necessary.