Mental health

What did our research with the sector conclude?

Research participants noted that individuals with mental health challenges face unique barriers to sport participation, including anxiety, low motivation, and fear of judgment. Many highlighted the importance of creating low-pressure, supportive environments to help people with mental health challenges engage in physical activities that support both their mental and physical well-being.

The following comments are from the 2024 research study, reflecting the range of views expressed by participants.

• "Sport can be transformative for mental well-being. For some, it's a chance to focus on something positive, release stress, and find a sense of accomplishment, even on tough days."
• "For people with mental health challenges, the environment matters. They need to feel accepted and free to go at their own pace without feeling pressured or judged."
• "Symptoms like low energy, anxiety, or the fear of not fitting in keep a lot of people out of sport. We have to actively combat those fears and make it clear that everyone is welcome."
• "Coaches and staff need training on mental health to understand the signs and provide the right support. Sometimes, just knowing that someone understands can make all the difference."
• "For many, high-intensity, competitive sports aren't appealing. Offering walking clubs, gentle fitness classes, or non-competitive activities helps people participate without feeling overwhelmed."
• "The costs associated with sport - equipment, memberships, transport-are often too much. Free or subsidized options, especially for low-intensity activities, would help remove this barrier."
• "There's still stigma around mental health, especially in sports. By making sports spaces more open and understanding, we can create a place where people feel safe to share and be themselves."

Barriers

Symptoms of mental ill health

• One of the most significant barriers for those with mental health difficulties includes the symptoms they are experiencing. This can include low motivation, high anxiety, fear, fatigue, low confidence in ability, low social support, physical symptoms, body image amongst others.
• Those who are taking medication may experience additional effects. This can include weight gain, tiredness, muscle weakness or spasms and gastrointestinal difficulties amongst others.

Costs

• People who experience mental health issues are more likely to experience poverty and be on a low-income
  [1]. This means that the costs associated with physical activity such as equipment, membership and transport costs often represent a significant barrier.

Stigma and discrimination

• Mental health is now starting to be discussed at an elite performance level, with global sporting events such as the Paris Olympics 2024 highlighting the challenges that some elite athletes can face.
• Despite this, people may experience stigma due to their mental health, and may struggle to participate in sporting activities due to the fear associated with stigma.
• Mental ill-health is often also more common among LGBTQIA+ people, as well as Black and Asian women and men due to experiences of discrimination, sexism and racism, and differences in access to healthcare
  [2]. Many people may thus experience mental health stigma and other forms of discrimination at the same time, compounding barriers to physical activity.

What can we do about it

Safe and inclusive spaces

• Session offer: Encourage safe and inclusive spaces for mental health, including 'low level', 'give it a go' types of activities, reducing the fear of stigma and judgement.
• Flexible pacing: Allow flexibility within sporting activities, encouraging people to go at their own pace.
• Support buddy: Suggest people bring a friend or a supporter to come with them, or offer a named contact from your club/organisation.

Cost and access to facilities

• Subsidised and free activities: Offer subsidised or free access for people with a diagnosed mental health illness or condition, particularly for low-cost activities like walking clubs or fitness classes.
• Partnerships: Create partnerships with mental health organisations or charities to provide sponsored memberships or transportation vouchers.

Increase mental health support infrastructure

• Staff and volunteer training: Provide mental health training for coaches, staff, and volunteers. Training should focus on recognising signs of mental health distress, offering appropriate support, and creating an environment that is empathetic and accommodating.
• Partnerships: Sports clubs could work in partnership with mental health services to offer integrated support programmes that combine physical activity with mental health care.
• Intersectional approach: Increase awareness of intersecting mental health challenges for multi-marginalised groups, such as LGBTQIA+ young people and those from ethnically diverse communities, by covering these in mental health training. Work with local community organisations to address group-specific challenges and stigma.

What is already happening?

• Sport coaches in Moray have become accredited (https://sportfirst.sportscotland.org.uk/articles/mental-health-accredited)
• Mental Health United (football in Ayr): https://sportfirst.sportscotland.org.uk/articles/mental-health-utd)
• Mental health walks across Scotland such as those organised by Mental Health Mates
  [3]
• Scottish Action for Mental Health have partnered with sportscotland to build capacity for mental health support in sports, and to promote the Scotland's Mental Health Charter for Physical Activity and Sport