A matched control trial of a mental health literacy intervention for parents in community sports clubs

Diarmuid Hurley, Mark S. Allen, Christian Swann, Stewart A. Vella

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

20 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness of a mental health literacy intervention for parents delivered through community sport clubs. In total, 540 parents (321 females, 219 males) of adolescent athletes participated in a brief educational workshop on youth mental health (n = 352) or a community-matched control group (n = 188). Generalised linear mixed models revealed no significant improvements in the intervention group compared to control in the primary mental health literacy outcomes, at 1 month follow-up. However, parents in the intervention group were more likely to seek formal help for themselves, had increased confidence and knowledge to help someone experiencing a mental health disorder, experienced reduced psychological distress, and perceived more support from other parents in their sport club, relative to the control group. Overall, the findings suggest that a brief educational intervention delivered through community sports clubs can positively affect some components of parents’ mental health literacy.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)141-153
Number of pages13
JournalChild Psychiatry and Human Development
Volume52
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 4 May 2021
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Brief intervention
  • Child and adolescent mental health
  • Prevention

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