The SPRINT Project at GSSPP

On Wednesday 14th May, SPRINT Project team members presented their research at the inaugural Graduate School of Sport and Professional Practice symposium. The event was interdisciplinary, consisting of elite sports professionals, researchers, practitioners, and aspiring individuals in the sports sector. Representing researchers, our team members shared their knowledge on topics broadly encompassing dancer and athlete mental health.

Starting with Maria Kolitsida and her poster "An Exploratory Case Study of Dance Teacher Response to Self-Harm in UK Private Dance Schools"

Maria's research responds to calls amongst dance teachers to have guidance for how best to safeguard their dancers. She argues that practical safeguarding support is required through creation of accessible and applicable self-harm education and safeguarding pathways for private dance schools, and provision for peer support and reflection spaces for dance educators.

Image description: Maria in front of her poster

Next up we have Kirsty Brown, who shared her research on "Help-Seeking for Mental Health in Athletes"

Kirsty's scoping literature review of mental health help seeking in athletes found that key factors including attitudes, prior experiences and access influence how athletes seek help for their mental health. Her findings have applied implications in public health and sport by showing the different factors that impact athlete help-seeking, and areas where they require support.

Image description: Kirsty in front of her poster

Fiona Clarke also discussed athletes, sharing her research on "Introducing Teammate Compassion: A Qualitative Investigation in Female Sport"

Fiona's research proposes teammate compassion as a novel method for promoting mental health in female athletes. She found that teammate compassion promotes mental health, performance, and technical skill acquisition.

Image description: Fiona's poster

Finally, MSci student Blaise Hanlon shared findings from her research project investigating "How Does Intrusive Imagery Relate to Emotional Regulation in Athletes?"

Blaise found that student-athletes experienced intrusive images around their sport performance. She argues that strategies to cope with intrusive images are needed to prevent negative mental health outcomes for athletes.

Image description: Blaise in front of her poster

Subscribe to our mailing list to keep up to date with our research!