Investigating the interconnectedness of athletes’ performance beliefs, coping ability, and mental health, and the efficacy of a REBT-inspired mobile app intervention

Objective

This study explored the interrelatedness between athletes’ performance beliefs, coping ability, and mental health, and evaluated a four-week Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) mobile app intervention targeting these factors

Design and Methods

A multiphase randomised comparative design was used where 155 athletes (Mage = 26.93, SD = 11.32) completed an online survey. A subset of 23 athletes (Mage = 33.70, SD = 14.15) participated in a four-week mobile-app intervention of which the experimental group received eight micro-learning sessions focused on REBT principles and self-help activities to challenge and replace irrational thinking in sport, while the control group received conventional psychological skills training

Results

Correlation analyses revealed significant associations between the factors. Further analyses using Hayes’ PROCESS macro revealed that both coping ability and irrational beliefs mediated the relationship between them and mental health, with coping ability showing a stronger mediation effect. Furthermore, independent samples t-tests analyses confirmed significant improvements in participants’ exhibition of irrational performance beliefs upon completion of the RBT-inspired mobile app intervention, with thematic analyses of qualitative feedback highlighting the mobile app’s utility as a tool for self-management of cognitions and emotions in sport

Conclusion

The incorporation of psychological skills training to enhance coping ability should remain integral to REBT approaches aimed at improving athletes’ mental health in sport. Additionally, mobile web-based interventions hold potential as a valuable and easily accessible tool to support athletes’ psychological needs.