Investigating athletic identity, help-seeking, and psychological well-being of Gaelic games players: a social identity mapping study

The study utilised a cross-sectional survey design incorporating Online Social Identity Mapping, The General Help-seeking Questionnaire, The Mental Health Continuum Short Form, and The Four Item Scale of Social Identification. Parametric and non-parametric correlations were conducted alongside a hierarchical regression. Participants (N=296) were active Gaelic games players across Ireland and the UK. <br><br>Results: Due to partial completion of survey information, a limited number of participants contributed to the main analysis (N=59).

Predicted Mean Matching was utilised to account for missing data. Contrary to the proposed hypothesis, no significant relationship was found between social identity variables and psychological wellbeing. Help-seeking attitude was significantly associated with psychological wellbeing. <br><br>Discussion: The results highlight the need to normalise and prioritise help-seeking within sporting communities to reduce the stigma around seeking help for psychological wellbeing.

Directions for future research such as larger sample size and in person testing are also discussed. <br><br><i>Thesis is embargoed until 31 December 2027.</i>