Moreno-Fenoll B, Gil-Caselles L, Gomez-Espejo V, Garcia-Naveira A, Ruiz-Barquín R, Olmedilla-Zafra A. Effectiveness of a cognitive behavioural intervention on mental health in young footballers: A quasi-experimental study. World J Psychiatry 2026; 16(6): 118232 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i6.118232]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Laura Gil-Caselles, PhD, Assistant Professor, HUMSE Research Group, Faculty of Sciences and Sports, University of Murcia, Argentina s/n, San Javier 30720, Murcia, Spain. laura.gilc@um.es
Research Domain of This Article
Psychology
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research-article
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Moreno-Fenoll B, Gil-Caselles L, Gomez-Espejo V, Garcia-Naveira A, Ruiz-Barquín R, Olmedilla-Zafra A. Effectiveness of a cognitive behavioural intervention on mental health in young footballers: A quasi-experimental study. World J Psychiatry 2026; 16(6): 118232 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i6.118232]
Beatriz Moreno-Fenoll, Department of Psychology, University of Murcia, Murcia 30100, Spain
Laura Gil-Caselles, HUMSE Research Group, Faculty of Sciences and Sports, University of Murcia, San Javier 30720, Murcia, Spain
Verónica Gomez-Espejo, Aurelio Olmedilla-Zafra, HUMSE Research Group, Department of Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatment Psychology, University of Murcia, Murcia 30100, Spain
Alejo Garcia-Naveira, Department of Psychology, University of Villanueva, Madrid 28034, Spain
Roberto Ruiz-Barquín, Department of Evolutive and Educational Psychology, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid 28049, Spain
Author contributions: Moreno-Fenoll B, Gil-Caselles L and Gómez-Espejo V coordinated data collection and drafted the manuscript; Moreno-Fenoll B and Olmedilla-Zafra A conceived and designed the study; Ruiz-Barquín R and Garcia-Naveira A performed the statistical analyses and interpreted the results; all authors contributed to the intervention design, critically revised the manuscript, and approved the final version.
Institutional review board statement: The study was reviewed and approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the University of Murcia (Spain) (No. 4734/2023).
Clinical trial registration statement: This study used a quasi-experimental longitudinal design with non-equivalent groups (non-randomized controlled intervention) and was not registered as a clinical trial.
Informed consent statement: All participants provided informed consent.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflict of interest in publishing the manuscript.
CONSORT 2010 statement: The authors have read the CONSORT 2010 Statement, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CONSORT 2010 Statement.
Data sharing statement:
De-identified participant data are not publicly available due to ethical and privacy restrictions; however, data may be made available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Corresponding author: Laura Gil-Caselles, PhD, Assistant Professor, HUMSE Research Group, Faculty of Sciences and Sports, University of Murcia, Argentina s/n, San Javier 30720, Murcia, Spain. laura.gilc@um.es
Received: December 29, 2025 Revised: January 17, 2026 Accepted: February 26, 2026 Published online: June 19, 2026 Processing time: 150 Days and 14.8 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Adolescence and early adulthood are critical periods for mental health in footballers, during which competitive demands such as performance expectations, training load, and competitive pressure may negatively affect psychological well-being. In football, these demands can lead to emotional deterioration throughout the season, underscoring the need for cognitive behavioural interventions that promote mental health and performance.
AIM
To evaluate the effectiveness of a psychological intervention programme based on cognitive-behavioural techniques on the mental health of young footballers.
METHODS
A quasi-experimental longitudinal design was applied with non-equivalent groups (experimental and control) and pre-test and post-test measurements. The sample consisted of 56 young footballers (53.6% men and 46.4% women; mean age 19.45 years) competing in the men’s Juvenil División de Honor and the women’s Third Division of the Royal Spanish Football Federation. The intervention was delivered throughout the competitive season and included eleven group sessions and four individual sessions of 50 minutes each, focusing on motivation, concentration, visualisation, activation, confidence, and group cohesion. Psychological variables were assessed using validated self-report instruments measuring trait anxiety, emotional distress, mood states, general psychological distress, and subjective sleep quality.
RESULTS
The experimental group showed more favourable progress in several mental health indicators compared to the control group. Specifically, the intervention contributed to the stabilisation or reduction of stress and depressive symptoms, a decrease in fatigue and tension, and an increase in vigour, as well as improvements in overall well-being and reductions in psychological distress. More stable dimensions, such as trait anxiety and subjective sleep quality, remained unchanged in both groups.
CONCLUSION
The results suggest that the cognitive behavioural therapy intervention acted as a protective factor against the psychological burden inherent in competitive football seasons, contributing to the preservation of players’ well-being. These findings support the systematic integration of cognitive behavioural programmes in youth and women’s football as a preventive and educational strategy in highly demanding sporting contexts. Future research should examine the long-term effects of such interventions and explore their applicability across different competitive levels and age groups.
Core Tip: We evaluated whether a cognitive-behavioural intervention could improve mental health outcomes in young footballers using a quasi-experimental design. We compared participants who received the intervention with a comparison group and assessed mental health indicators before and after the programme. Overall, the intervention was associated with improvements in key mental health measures, suggesting that brief, structured cognitive-behavioural strategies may be useful to support psychological wellbeing in youth sport settings. These findings highlight the value of integrating evidence-based mental health interventions within youth football programmes.
