Changes in mental health literacy and perceived psychological safety following a retired athlete–led, team-embedded education session in sport

Athletes experience mental health difficulties at rates comparable to or exceeding those of the general population, yet disclosure and help-seeking are often constrained by stigma and performance-oriented norms. This study evaluated a brief, retired-athlete–led, team-embedded mental health literacy (MHL) session and examined changes in MHL, perceived psychological safety, and help-seeking intention among athletes from two Japanese competitive sport teams in the women’s category. Thirty-four athletes (badminton, volleyball) attended a 90-min session integrating psychoeducation and facilitated team dialogue delivered by retired athletes who had completed facilitator training in mental health literacy. Using a single-group pre–post–2-month follow-up design, outcomes were assessed at baseline, immediately post-session, and follow-up. Mixed-effects models estimated change over time, with exploratory stratification by baseline psychological strain measured with the Athlete Psychological Strain Questionnaire (APSQ). MHL improved from baseline to post-session and remained higher at follow-up (standardised mean changes of 0.72 and 0.65, respectively). Perceived psychological safety also increased and was maintained (0.65 and 0.59). Exploratory subgroup estimates varied by baseline strain, although time × strain-group interactions were not statistically significant. The proportion endorsing likely/very likely help-seeking increased descriptively (41%, 53%, 50%) but showed no clear time effects. These preliminary findings support further controlled and implementation-oriented evaluation of retired-athlete–led delivery and downstream help-seeking behaviour.