Case Trial Evaluations of an Optimization Approach to Mental Health and Sport Performance for Adolescent Athletes

This dissertation will consist of five chapters – an introduction (Chapter 1), three original empirical studies (Chapters 2-4), and a conclusion (Chapter 5). Chapter 2 was accepted for publication by the Sport Social Work Journal (Phrathep et al., 2022a). Chapter 3 was accepted for publication by Clinical Case Studies (Phrathep et al., 2022b). Chapter 4 was accepted for publication by Frontiers in Sports and Active Living (Phrathep et al., 2023). These three manuscripts are linked by a primary interest in the evaluation of an optimization approach as an efficacious intervention for optimizing mental health and sport performance among adolescent athletes (Donohue et al., 2021). Data for these manuscripts were derived from a battery of standardized assessments that include both self-reports and semi-structured clinical interviews. To provide general background for the studies in this dissertation, the Chapter 1 contains recent evidence on interventions available for adolescent athletes and on how these clinical case studies address the current gap in the literature for services for these athletes.