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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychol.
Sec. Sport Psychology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1332343
This article is part of the Research Topic Critical Issues in the Process of the Career Development and Transition of Athletes View all 5 articles

Athletes: The Mediating Roles of Stigma and Social Support

Provisionally accepted
Danran BU Danran BU 1*Chun-Qing Zhang Chun-Qing Zhang 2Wei LIANG Wei LIANG 3Zhe Han Zhe Han 4Nian Yi Nian Yi 1*Ning Su Ning Su 3Zhijian Huang Zhijian Huang 1*
  • 1 Institute of Physical Education and Sport Science, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
  • 2 Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guang Dong, China
  • 3 School of Physical Education, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
  • 4 Key Laboratory of General Administration of Sport of China,Hubei Institute of Sport Science, Wuhan, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Objectives: Considering the importance of mental health help-seeking, researchers have closely examined the relationship between mental health literacy (MHL) and help-seeking intention (HSI). Furthermore, the high impact of stigma and the potential value of social support on HSI have been recognised. However, the relationship between these variables has not been fully tested within the context of Chinese elite athletes. This study addressed this gap by examining the relationship between MHL and HSI. Furthermore, it explored the mediating effects of public stigma, self-stigma, and social support on the relationship between MHL and HSI among Chinese elite athletes.Methods: 450 Chinese elite athletes (Mage = 18.12, SD = 3.20, 46.2% female) self-reported their MHL, public stigma, self-stigma, social support, and HSI. Mediation analysis was conducted using the bootstrap approach of the PROCESS macro version 3.3 of SPSS 25.The results showed a significant positive correlation between MHL and HSI (r = .348). The results also demonstrated that MHL was a predictor of HSI (β = .337, 95%CI [.249, .425], p< .001). Furthermore, 1) the indirect effect of MHL→public stigma→HSI was .024 and a 95%CI [.003, .053]. Specifically, MHL predicted public stigma (Estimate = -.151, 95%CI [-.187, -.045], p< .001), and public stigma predicted HSI (Estimate = -.161, 95%CI [-.549, -.164], p < .001); 2) the indirect effect of MHL→self-stigma→ HSI was .016 and 95%CI [.002, .038]. Specifically, MHL predicted self-stigma (Estimate = -.137, 95%CI [-.069, -.013], p< .01), and selfstigma predicted HSI (Estimate = -.120, 95%CI [-1.181, -.186], p< .01); as well as 3) the indirect effect of MHL→social support→HSI was .029 and a 95%CI [.009, .055]. Specifically, MHL predicted social support (Estimate = .208, 95%CI [.018, .047], p < .001), and social support predicted HSI (Estimate = .141, 95%CI [.578, 2.442], p< .01). Additionally, the direct effects from MHL to HSI is (β = .452, 95%CI [.304, .600], p < .001).3 Conclusion: Our findings provide empirical support for the roles of public stigma, self-stigma, and social support as mechanisms of behavioural change in MHL interventions. These factors increase HSI among elite athletes. Future studies should further test these mediating effects using experimental designs.

    Keywords: Mental health literacy, help-seeking intention, stigma, social support, Chinese elite athletes

    Received: 02 Nov 2023; Accepted: 16 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 BU, Zhang, LIANG, Han, Yi, Su and Huang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Danran BU, Institute of Physical Education and Sport Science, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
    Nian Yi, Institute of Physical Education and Sport Science, Hubei University, Wuhan, China
    Zhijian Huang, Institute of Physical Education and Sport Science, Hubei University, Wuhan, China

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