An intervention to improve adaptability skills and psychological well-being in the elite Irish sport community

ISRCTN	ISRCTN77773926
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN77773926
Secondary identifying numbers	N/A

Submission date: 16/07/2015
Registration date: 28/08/2015
Last edited: 28/08/2015

Recruitment status: No longer recruiting
Overall study status: Completed
Condition category: Mental and Behavioural Disorders

Prospectively registered

Protocol

Statistical analysis plan

Results

Individual participant data

Record updated in last year

Plain English summary of protocol

Background and study aims
Career development is no longer conceived as a linear process but instead viewed as unstable and transitional over the individual’s life span. Research has shown that individuals’ ability to successfully negotiate transitions has implications for their mental health, motivation and productivity. This has increased pressure on organisational support systems to put in place infrastructures to empower individuals to manage their career paths and deal with multiple transitions. This is certainly the case in Irish high performance sport where the need to enhance elite athletes’ ability to negotiate transitions and cope with mental health difficulties has been publicly highlighted by several high profile male Irish athletes. How effective an individual is in making a transition and adjusting to change depends on a number of factors including the individual’s personal resources. Career adaptability is a personal resource that is described as the individual’s ability to deal with change. Research has shown that career adaptability is malleable and highly correlated with psychological well-being. In response to the identified need of the Irish Sports Council’s, Irish Institute of Sport, the aim of this project is to develop and test an athlete transition support programme that will enhance career adaptability and psychological well-being in approximately 200 Irish Olympic and Paralympic athletes. As part of the research process, the project will explore gender issues relevant to the development of the intervention programme. It is envisioned that this research will expand the knowledge and skills of Irish service providers working with elite athletes in the area of athlete career transition. The outcomes of this study will improve current support networks around elite Irish athletes and inform policies related to improving athlete support systems and mental health.

Who can participate?
Adults who have been involved in an Irish high-performance sport programme

What does the study involve?
Participants will be randomly allocated to one of two groups: the intervention or the control group.
In the intervention group, participants will watch a psycho-educational video clip and attend 3 psycho-education workshops. In the control group, participants will go about life as usual.

What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Participants will have the opportunity of learning about: normal responses to major transitions in sport; planning and goal-setting; how to identify and check unhelpful thinking; emotion regulation strategies; self-regulation strategies – planning; problem solving techniques. There are no risks to participants beyond that which they encounter in everyday life. The manner and questions used to assess whether this support programme works are non-intrusive.

Where is the study run from?
Irish Institute of Sport, Dublin

When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
September 2015 to June 2018

Who is funding the study?
Irish Research Council and Irish Institute of Sport.

Who is the main contact?
Ms Emma Burrows
emma.burrows2@mail.dcu.ie

Contact information

Ms Emma Burrows
Public

School of Health and Human Performance
Dublin City University
Dublin
D9
Ireland

ORCID ID	0000-0002-9009-7760
Phone	+353 0892481988
Email	emma.burrows2@mail.dcu.ie

Study information

Study design	Interventional wait list control design with pre and post testing
Primary study design	Interventional
Secondary study design
Study setting(s)	Other
Study type	Other
Participant information sheet	Not available in web format, please use contact details to request a participant information sheet
Scientific title	Feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of a career transition programme to increase adaptability and psychological well-being in elite Irish athletes and their service providers
Study objectives	A 4-part psycho-education intervention will improve adaptability and psychological well-being in members of the elite Irish sport community.
Ethics approval(s)	Research and Innovation Support (Dublin City University), 08/09/2014, ref: DCUREC/2014/194
Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied	Adaptability and psychological well-being
Intervention	1. Intervention arm involves exposure to psycho-educational video clip and attendance at 3 psycho-education workshops targeting adaptability and psychological well-being. 2. Control arm involves life as usual.
Intervention type	Behavioural
Primary outcome measure	Learning, adaptability and psychological well-being. Data collection methods will include surveys such as The COMPAS-W Scale of Wellbeing©, Career Adaptabilities Form 2.0, The Self Control and Self-Management Scale, the Shortened General Attitudes and Beliefs Scale and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21) Measurements taken pre and post intervention, and also at 2 months and 6 months following the 2016 Olympic/Paralympic Games.
Secondary outcome measures	Self-efficacy, problem solving skills. Measurements taken pre and post intervention, and also at 2 months and 6 months following the 2016 Olympic/Paralympic Games.
Overall study start date	01/09/2015
Completion date	01/06/2018

Eligibility

Participant type(s)	Other
Age group	Adult
Lower age limit	18 Years
Sex	Both
Target number of participants	200 members of the elite sport community comprising athletes, coaches and service providers
Key inclusion criteria	1. Current or prior involvement in an Irish high-performance sport programme 2. 18 years and over
Key exclusion criteria	N/A
Date of first enrolment	01/09/2015
Date of final enrolment	01/07/2016

Locations

Countries of recruitment

Ireland

Study participating centre

Irish Institute of Sport

National Sports Campus, Blanchardstown
Co. Dublin
Ireland

Sponsor information

School of Health and Human Performance
University/education

Dublin City University
Glasnevin
Dublin
D9
Ireland

"ROR"	https://ror.org/04a1a1e81

Funders

Funder type

Research council

Irish Research Council
Government organisation / Research institutes and centers

Alternative name(s): An Chomhairle um Thaighde in Éirinn, IrishResearch
Location: Ireland

Irish Institute of Sport

No information available

Results and Publications

Intention to publish date	31/12/2018
Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share	No
IPD sharing plan summary	Not expected to be made available
Publication and dissemination plan	We anticipate findings will be presented at one European and one International conference in 2017/2018. Results will be submitted for publication to a peer reviewed journal in 2018. Dissemination channels will include social media. The intervention study will contribute to the submission of a doctoral thesis and the final thesis will be deposited in DORAS, Dublin City University’s open access institutional repository.
IPD sharing plan