Dear Colleagues,

A growing body of evidence supports the idea that the sport psychology interventions adopted by professionals do make a difference in athletes’ performance. Specifically, the scientific literature has reported that psychological interventions such as imagery, goal-setting, self-talk, relaxation and arousal regulation are those most widely adopted by practitioners and athletes to enhance performance. However, athletes face unique physiological and psychological stressors daily, which may contribute to injuries, overtraining, burnout, and/or other physical and mental health issues. Accordingly, the continuous exploration of interventions able to counteract physical and mental tension and other detrimental stressor effects when performing at high levels is needed. Moreover, it has been recognized that interventions that do consider athletes’ emotional, psychological and social well-being are crucial to achieving a high performance in sport. This Special Issue of Sports aims to provide a platform for constructive discussion on up-to-date scientific data in this area. Thus, we invite authors to submit original research and/or specific reviews that enhance our understanding of “Sport Psychology Interventions for Athletes’ Performance and Well-being”. Papers addressing novel outcomes obtained using traditional interventions (e.g., imagery, self-talk) and those on emerging techniques (e.g., yoga for athletes; technology-based interventions) are more than welcome.

Dr. Selenia Di Fronso
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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• psychological skills training
• performance enhancement
• well-being
• recovery interventions
• technology-based interventions
• yoga and meditation
• self-regulation
• imagery
• decision making
• self-talk

• Sport Psychology Interventions for Athletes' Performance and Well-Being in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (11 articles)

Title: It Takes a Team – Enhancing Student-Athlete Health and Well-Being Through an Interprofessional Approach
Authors: Rebecca Steins; Anthony Breitbach; Michael Ross; Erica Ciarlo; Elena Mellilo & Olivia Brant
Affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training, Doisy College of Health Sciences, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO 63104, USA
Abstract: Effective teamwork is essential to the success of sport and athletic organizations. Interprofessional Collaboration (IPC) and team-based care has also been identified as a priority for health and social care organizations.(World Health Organization, 2010) The Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) Core Competencies of (1) Values and Ethics; (2) Roles and Responsibilities; (3) Communication; and (4) Teams and Teamwork provide a guiding framework for IPC. (Interprofessional Education Collaborative, 2023). Student-athlete well-being is a key objective for individuals working with or for university athletic departments, with high levels of well-being being correlated with sport, academic, and personal improvements (Navarro et al., 2020). Due to the multifaceted factors that influence student-athlete well-being (e.g., cultural factors, coaches, academic pressure, family stress, etc.), there is an increasing need for an interdisciplinary/interprofessional approach to well-being to address each of the factors influencing student-athletes (Lemelin et al., 2022, Navarro et al., 2020). There has also been a call to widen the scope of providers included for IPC in sports and exercise medicine to include psychology, counseling, and human performance professionals (Ulrich et al., 2022) However, significant barriers exist in implementing IPC into university athletic departments. These include boundaries between roles, differing ethical codes, leadership, perceived hierarchies, and confidentiality (Breitbach et al., 2017). Nonetheless, little research exists on how to overcome these boundaries to integrate IPC in university athletic departments for enhancing student-athlete wellness. This paper will describe how a university athletic department used a team approach to enhance student-athlete health and well-being. This interprofessional team (SLU Athlete Wellness Committee) included a sport psychologist, mental health counselor, athletic trainer, and sport dietitian. Vignettes will demonstrate how the IPEC core competencies are operationalized by the team to address athlete health and well-being through IPC overcoming organizational barriers and hierarchical silos. Recommendations on the further implementation of IPC centered around student-athlete well-being will also be proposed in the discussion.