From Research to Real-World Impact: How MST4Life™ Translates Sport Psychology Research into Youth Mental Health Support

Mental health is increasingly recognised as a core component of performance, wellbeing, and safeguarding in sport and dance. While awareness has grown, the challenge remains in translating research into practice. MST4Life™ (Mental Skills Training for Life) is one programme that demonstrates how mental health research projects in sport psychology can be applied to support young people in meaningful, community-based ways.

This blog explores how MST4Life™ exemplifies an effective intervention approach. It is designed for funders, policymakers, and applied researchers who are interested in bridging the gap between academic evidence and real-world impact.

Sport offers more than physical fitness. It builds confidence, connection, and resilience, supporting mental health across all ages and abilities.

Why Mental Health in Sport Psychology Needs Community-Based Research

Sport and dance environments offer opportunities for growth, connection, and achievement. However, they can also present risks, particularly for young people facing disadvantage or exclusion. Performance pressure, identity development, and inconsistent safeguarding practices can contribute to mental health challenges.

Historically, sport psychology research has focused more on elite athletes, but there is a growing body of field-based interventions that address mental health in competitive and community sport. A recent review by Sutcliffe et al. (2024) highlights this shift, showing how mental health support is being integrated into sport contexts beyond the elite level.

Community-based research is essential because it reflects the lived experiences of young people. It prioritises ecological validity and relevance, asking what works in real life and how interventions can be tailored to diverse needs. MST4Life™ is one such example.

MST4Life™: A Model for Translational Research

MST4Life™ is a sport psychology-informed programme developed to support young people who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET). It adapts psychological skills training, traditionally used in sport, for youth development in community settings.

The programme was co-designed with young people and practitioners. This ensures that its content is both evidence-based and responsive to the needs of participants. MST4Life™ uses sport psychology principles such as goal setting, emotional regulation, and self-reflection to help young people build resilience, confidence, and motivation.

MST4Life™ is more than a single intervention. It includes structured sessions, outdoor learning, and ongoing support. This makes it suitable for integration into broader safeguarding and mental health strategies. It also aligns with policy priorities around youth engagement, inclusion, and wellbeing.

Designing for Impact: MST4Life™’s Intervention Framework

MST4Life™ is built on a person-based approach. Rather than delivering a fixed curriculum, facilitators work with participants to identify personal goals, strengths, and challenges. This approach supports psychological safety and empowerment, which are key principles in safeguarding.

The intervention framework includes:

• Goal setting and planning: Participants learn how to set flexible, achievable goals that support both personal development and performance.

• Self-reflection and emotional awareness: Activities encourage young people to explore their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours in a supportive environment.

• Resilience-building: Outdoor challenges and team tasks help participants develop coping strategies and confidence.

• Strengths-based delivery: Facilitators focus on what participants can do, rather than what they lack.

These components are grounded in sport psychology theory but adapted for diverse youth populations. In dance contexts, similar approaches have supported young performers dealing with performance anxiety, injury, and safeguarding concerns such as eating disorders (e.g., Estanol et al., 2013). Narrative therapy techniques such as the Tree of Life can also help young people to articulate their personal stories and build resilience.

Evidence of Effectiveness

MST4Life™ has been evaluated through a series of mental health research projects in sport psychology. The evidence is summarised in our recent review paper, Mental Skills Training for Youth Experiencing Multiple Disadvantage (Cumming et al., 2024). This review highlights the programme’s impact on psychological wellbeing, engagement, and personal development.

Key outcomes include:

• Increased self-awareness, self-efficacy and resilience

• Improved self-regulation and mental wellbeing

• Greater engagement with education, training, or employment

• Enhanced social connectedness and trust

These outcomes are particularly relevant for funders and policymakers seeking interventions that deliver both short-term benefits and long-term impact. For example, most of the MST4Life™ participants included young people who had disengaged from formal education. After completing the programme, several re-enrolled in college or joined training schemes, citing increased confidence in taking these steps.

MST4Life™ uses outdoor education as a setting for young people to build and practice their strengths and mental skills.

Scaling and Sustainability

MST4Life™ has been delivered in housing services, sport venues, outdoor education sites, and virtual formats. This flexibility makes it suitable for integration into wider safeguarding and mental health strategies.

For funders, MST4Life™ offers a clear return on investment. It is a proven intervention approach that supports vulnerable youth, aligns with policy priorities, and can be scaled across regions. For policymakers, it provides a model for how sport psychology can inform inclusive, trauma-informed practice.

Applied researchers can also benefit from MST4Life™’s open-access resources and evaluation tools. These support replication, adaptation, and innovation. The programme’s emphasis on co-design and lived experience ensures that future developments remain grounded in the needs of young people.

Co-designed toolkit to make psychologically informed delivery and strengths-based practice should be easily accessible to all.

Turning Insight into Action

Mental health research projects in sport psychology have the potential to transform lives, both within and beyond sport and dance. MST4Life™ shows how this can be achieved through collaboration, creativity, and a commitment to real-world impact.

If you are working in youth development, safeguarding, or applied sport psychology, we invite you to explore our resources and get involved.

1. Download the MST4Life™ toolkit to access session plans, evaluation templates, and guidance on delivery.

2. Connect with our research team to discuss partnership opportunities or share your own intervention approaches.

3. Subscribe to our newsletter for updates on new publications, training events, and community impact stories.

   
   

Together, we can ensure that mental health support in sport and dance is not only evidence-based but also accessible, inclusive, and impactful.

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Written by Prof Jennifer Cumming, Co-Director of The SPRINT Project and Chartered Psychologist.  

References

Cumming, J., Quinton, M. L., Tidmarsh, G., & Reynard, S. (2024). Mental skills training for youth experiencing multiple disadvantage. Youth, 4(4), 1591-1609. https://doi.org/10.3390/youth4040102

Estanol, E., Shepherd, C., & MacDonald, T. (2013). Mental Skills as Protective Attributes Against Eating Disorder Risk in Dancers. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 25(2), 209–222. https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200.2012.712081

Sutcliffe, J. T., Graupensperger, S., Schweickle, M. J., Rice, S. M., Swann, C., & Vella, S. A. (2021). Mental health interventions in non-elite sport: a systematic review and meta-analysis. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 17(1), 319–342. https://doi.org/10.1080/1750984X.2021.2001839