A mental well-being screening process in an elite youth football academy

Previous research indicates that participation in academy football potentially poses mental well-being risks. Accordingly, we developed a mental well-being screening process in an academy. We reviewed the mental well-being literature to understand how the construct might be best conceptualized and assessed and to identify a brief, valid, and adolescent-friendly screening tool. Keyes’s Mental Health Continuum-Short Form was deemed suitable due to its theoretical relevance and psychometric properties. We adapted this questionnaire for use with academy players, editing items to enhance their applicability and removing irrelevant items. Players, guided by staff members, then completed this measure and discussed their responses. Using the collected data, we also tested its psychometric properties. The resulting screening process facilitates the detection and support of players at risk, an understanding of the prevalence of good and poor mental well-being in this population, and an appreciation of the factors that affect their mental well-being.