Get Your Head in the Game: Mental Health Training for Coaches and Parents of Young Athletes
Advisor(s)
Michelle Musser
Emily Eddy
Confirmation
1
Document Type
Poster
Location
ONU McIntosh Center; Activities Room
Start Date
11-4-2025 10:00 AM
End Date
11-4-2025 10:50 AM
Abstract
Background
According to the Hardin County 2020-22 Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), 36% of Hardin County youth felt sad or hopeless almost every day for 2 weeks. mental health was identified as one of the main priorities to be addressed within the community in the coming years. The CHIP included intentions to conduct mental health first aid trainings for community members that may have more exposure to Hardin County youth and, therefore, the opportunity to identify and address mental health concerns. Our project plans to contribute to this effort by holding training sessions in partnership with the Hardin County YMCA and the Ohio State University Extension Office in Hardin County. These training will help raise awareness and educate youth coaches and parents on how to best assess and assist children’s mental health. We believe this is a critical target audience as children spend much of their time in extracurricular activities, specifically sports, and therefore the coaches are often key figures in their lives. The goal of these training sessions is to help coaches and parents identify mental health issues within their young athletes and be able to provide tools and resources to help.
Methods
Mental health training participants will complete the session through the OSU Extension Office, and data will be collected from participants through a pre and post-survey. These surveys assess their knowledge and understanding of various mental health topics, such as their confidence in their ability to address mental health issues in the youth and identify appropriate mental health resources. The pre-survey will be given to participants before the mental health first aid training begins to collect baseline knowledge and attitudes toward mental health in their student-athletes. The post-survey will be given following the completion of the class that will measure what they have learned and any perspective changes on the topic.
Results: Research in Progress
Conclusion/Future Directions: Research in Progress
Recommended Citation
Ehlinger, Ava E.; Carter, Abigail; and Hall, Madeline, "Get Your Head in the Game: Mental Health Training for Coaches and Parents of Young Athletes" (2025). ONU Student Research Colloquium. 6.
https://digitalcommons.onu.edu/student_research_colloquium/2025/Posters/6
Restricted
Available to ONU community via local IP address and ONU login.
Get Your Head in the Game: Mental Health Training for Coaches and Parents of Young Athletes
ONU McIntosh Center; Activities Room
Background
According to the Hardin County 2020-22 Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), 36% of Hardin County youth felt sad or hopeless almost every day for 2 weeks. mental health was identified as one of the main priorities to be addressed within the community in the coming years. The CHIP included intentions to conduct mental health first aid trainings for community members that may have more exposure to Hardin County youth and, therefore, the opportunity to identify and address mental health concerns. Our project plans to contribute to this effort by holding training sessions in partnership with the Hardin County YMCA and the Ohio State University Extension Office in Hardin County. These training will help raise awareness and educate youth coaches and parents on how to best assess and assist children’s mental health. We believe this is a critical target audience as children spend much of their time in extracurricular activities, specifically sports, and therefore the coaches are often key figures in their lives. The goal of these training sessions is to help coaches and parents identify mental health issues within their young athletes and be able to provide tools and resources to help.
Methods
Mental health training participants will complete the session through the OSU Extension Office, and data will be collected from participants through a pre and post-survey. These surveys assess their knowledge and understanding of various mental health topics, such as their confidence in their ability to address mental health issues in the youth and identify appropriate mental health resources. The pre-survey will be given to participants before the mental health first aid training begins to collect baseline knowledge and attitudes toward mental health in their student-athletes. The post-survey will be given following the completion of the class that will measure what they have learned and any perspective changes on the topic.
Results: Research in Progress
Conclusion/Future Directions: Research in Progress