Exploring the Behavioural and Organisational Support Factors Associated With New Zealand Athlete Mental Health

Abstract

Purpose: This thesis explored the behavioural and organisational support factors associated with mental health in elite New Zealand athletes. While athletes are often perceived as resilient, research indicates they experience comparable mental health challenges compared to the general population. Guided by the dual continuum model, this study investigated how modifiable behaviours and perceived organisational support (POS) are associated with depression, anxiety, psychological strain, and flourishing. In addition, it examined the prevalence of these behaviours, POS, and mental health outcomes across this athletic population.

Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with 109 New Zealand athletes. Participants completed a series of validated measures assessing mental health outcomes, sleep hygiene, food addiction, screen time, alcohol use, and multi-level POS (organisation, coach/staff, teammates/training partners). Descriptive statistics captured prevalence data, while logistic regression analyses (adjusted and unadjusted) examined associations between these variables and mental health indicators, with the adjusted models controlling for demographic and sport- related covariates.

(1) Behavioural Factors Results: Poor sleep hygiene behaviours were strongly associated with higher odds of both depression (OR = 25.67, 95% CI [4.84, 136.24], p < .001) and anxiety (OR = 19.82, 95% CI [3.20, 122.76], p = .001). Weekly binge drinking was linked to significantly lower odds of flourishing (OR = 0.03, 95% CI [<0.01, 0.30], p = .003). Food addiction showed some strong trends with worse mental health outcomes, although no statistically significant link was established. Meanwhile, screen time demonstrated little to no association with mental health outcomes.

(2) Perceived Organisational Support Results: No significant associations were found between POS, at any individual or collective level, and mental health outcomes after adjusting for confounders. However, the unadjusted models suggest potential significant indirect protective trends. For example, teammate-level support was associated with increased odds of anxiety (OR = 0.18, 95% CI [0.04, 0.91], p = 0.038) and the collective POS model significantly predicted flourishing (χ2(3) = 8.90, p = .031, McFadden’s pseudo-R2 = 0.066). Descriptive data further revealed that the majority of athletes perceived high support across all three organisational levels (58.7% organisational, 75.7% coach/staff, and 72.1% teammate/training partner).

Discussion: This research advances understanding of athlete mental health by applying a dual continuum model and exploring both behavioural (internal) and organisational (external) links. Notably, despite ongoing efforts to recruit high-level athletes, the final sample remained small and heterogeneous. This highlights common barriers to applied research within elite sport settings and limitsi the generalisability of our findings to the broader elite athlete population. Nevertheless, the findings offer meaningful, real-world insights into upstream behavioural risk factors and the potential protective role of POS. In particular, the multi-level POS scales developed for this study provide a promising tool for future research in elite sport and could support more targeted, system- level interventions.

Conclusion: This study offers a holistic, novel approach to athlete mental health by applying a dual-continuum model with sport-specific, multi-level POS measures. Findings highlight the significant role of modifiable behaviours (e.g., sleep, alcohol) and the potential of organisational support as a meaningful lever for improving well-being in sporting environments.