PhD Project: Exploring mental health–performance relationships across the competitive cycle in athletes: Timing, context, and adaptation

The project will adopt a longitudinal mixed-methods observational design, combining brief repeated mental health assessments with in-depth qualitative interviews conducted at key timepoints across the competitive season. Quantitative measures will support reflection and interpretation rather than prediction, while qualitative analysis will construct context-sensitive accounts of how athletes understand and navigate mental health–performance fluctuations.

I am looking for a highly motivated student with interests in sport psychology, mental health, and applied research in elite performance settings.

The precise direction will be shaped in close collaboration with the student; possible research directions include: (a) examining within-season changes in mental health and wellbeing across competitive phases; (b) identifying patterns of stability, vulnerability, and recovery over time; (c) exploring associations between mental health changes and functional performance (e.g., training quality, role performance, decision-making); (d) examining how contextual sport variables such as injury, selection security, workload, and competitive intensity shape mental health–performance relationships; and (e) identifying timepoints where mental health changes appear particularly relevant to performance and support needs.

By examining mental health and performance together over time, this research will advance understanding of how psychological wellbeing shapes athletes’ capacity to train, perform, and sustain performance under changing competitive demands. Findings will inform the development of timing-sensitive, integrated approaches to mental health and performance monitoring, supporting more sustainable, evidence-based systems within elite sport organisations.