Co-Designing Digital and AI Mental Health Supports for Canadian Sport Officials

Sport officials operate in high-pressure environments characterized by constant performance evaluation, public scrutiny, and frequent verbal abuse. Research shows that repeated exposure to abuse is associated with psychological distress, burnout, and increased intentions to leave officiating (Brick et al., 2022; Downward et al., 2023).

Despite these risks, many sport organizations have limited capacity to provide accessible and ongoing mental health support, often due to financial constraints. At the same time, digital and AI-supported mental health tools are emerging as cost-effective and scalable options within sport contexts. However, little is known about whether officials trust these tools, perceive them as confidential and ethically sound, or view them as relevant to help improve mental health.

This project addresses that gap by examining the barriers and facilitators that influence officials’ willingness to use digital and AI-supported mental health tools, as well as identifying the specific features, formats, and implementation strategies required for such tools to be perceived as credible, supportive, and relevant within officiating contexts.

This project is co-funded in partnership with Mitacs and iA Financial Group.

  • Nate Taylor is a Ph.D. student in Applied Health Sciences at Brock University, studying mental health and psychological wellbeing within sport populations. He has a background in sport psychology, with research interests focused on addressing mental health challenges experienced by athletes and other members of the sport community. He aspires to be a researcher who advances mental health support in sport by reducing barriers to care, promoting help-seeking, and developing evidence-based interventions. In his doctoral studies, Nate will examine factors influencing mental health outcomes in sport, including mental health literacy, stigma reduction, and innovative approaches to improving access to support.