Sports injuries are ubiquitous and can have far-reaching consequences for athletes (e.g., health, performance). Previous studies have examined various psychosocial influencing factors (e.g., stress), but have mostly focused on only one or two injury characteristics (e.g., frequency), neglecting the broader injury pattern. Thus, the present study aimed to obtain a more differentiated picture of potentially different injury patterns and related profiles of psychosocial factors. We investigated a sample of 213 athletes from a cross-sectional online study. Current injury status, frequency, severity, chronicity, medical treatment, and rehabilitation measures were subjected to cluster analysis indicating a 3-cluster solution with predominantly chronically injured athletes (n = 54), athletes not seeking treatment (n = 62), and athletes utilizing medical treatment and rehabilitation (n = 97). Building on the Model of Stress and Athletic Injury, we subsequently conducted three multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVAs) to examine whether the obtained clusters differed in terms of personality factors (e.g., athletic identity), history of stressors (e.g., life events), and coping resources (e.g., self-compassion). We observed significant differences in all three categories of psychosocial variables implying different intervention possibilities for different injury patterns in the future.

Background: Healthcare professionals (HCPs) experience high occupational stress, contributing to mental health problems and workforce attrition. Scalable, low-threshold digital resilience interventions may alleviate this burden, yet, evidence for sustained effects – particularly with dynamic operationalizations of resilience – remains limited. Objective: This randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluated the effectiveness of resiLIR HCP, a 6-week, self-guided, web-based intervention focusing on self-care and self-compassion with brief daily exercises, in promoting HCP resilience. Methods: HCPs (N = 234) were randomized to the intervention or a waitlist control group. Assessments were conducted at baseline, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and at 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups. The primary outcome was resilience operationalized as stressor reactivity (SR score). Secondary outcomes included resilience- and work-related outcomes. Analyses followed per-protocol (PP) and intention-to-treat (ITT) approaches. The study was preregistered (Clinicaltrials-ID: BLINDED FOR REVIEW). Results: PP analyses revealed significant group x time intervention effects in resilience (SR score) at post-intervention, which attenuated at follow-up. Significant effects at postintervention were also observed for self-care, self-compassion, self-efficacy, and psychological distress, whereas effects on depressive and anxiety symptoms were not robust after adjustment for multiple testing. No significant effects were found for burnout or worklife balance. ITT analyses showed attenuated effects, with significant intervention effects for 2 psychological distress and the self-care subfactor pacing at post-intervention only. Adherence was limited: with 43.2% meeting the predefined adherence criterion. Conclusions: resiLIR HCP improved resilience and mental health among engaged participants. Limited adherence and non-significant effects on work-related outcomes highlight the need to enhance engagement and integrate digital interventions into multi-level prevention strategies.

BACKGROUND Resilience refers to the human ability to adapt to and cope with mental burdens, playing a vital role in maintaining and strengthening mental health. Digital psychological service offerings provide a resource-efficient and widely accessible alternative of comparable quality. However, long-term adherence to them and a quantitative measuring of their efficacy are common challenges. OBJECTIVE This work deals with the web application resiLIR for resilience training, which addresses the need for high user adherence by a human-computer interface in form of a serious game. Users attain the role of holidaymakers in a Mediterranean harbor city, engaging in sightseeing throughout the city. They are guided through the training program, visit locations in the city, which represent the training modules for the several resilience factors, and the process training units represented by various objects. METHODS The selection of a training module is initiated by choosing an accessible location on the city map. The path to the location of the selected training module includes a feedback inquiry regarding the previous module. Before entering the location, a user receives an introduction to the module. In the location view, a user accesses training units by clicking on accessible objects. The completion of a training unit returns a user to the location view with an updated accessibility status for any remaining unprocessed units. Once a module is completing by processing the scheduled units, a user begins the way back, which features a transfer unit for recapitulating the contents of the module. The training management involves the identification of suitable training contents and their provision to a user, the processing of user inputs for training units and verification of the completeness of these units based on the inputs. This management is realized as a rule-based system regulating the accessibility of training contents and their completion. RESULTS The effectiveness and feasibility of resiLIR were evaluated in two randomized controlled trials using a waitlist-control design, for the general population and for healthcare professionals. In the intervention groups, 43% and 44% completed all modules. Satisfaction was high (3.33 and 3.23 on a 1–4 scale). Preliminary analyses indicate short-term improvements in resilience and mental health. The web application has been publicly available since April 2024. CONCLUSIONS resiLIR provides a service offering for resilience training, which adopts the concept of a serious game to enhance user adherence. Preliminary results suggest that resiLIR is a feasible and well-accepted digital training, which can improve resilience and mental health while users actively engage with the program and practice resilience skills. Adherence rates were comparable to other online interventions, and user satisfaction was high. CLINICALTRIAL This submission builds upon a RCT running under the ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT05812716.

To address the absence of a validated short form of the German Athlete Burnout Questionnaire, the present study employed an Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) algorithm to create a validated short form of the German Athlete Burnout Questionnaire. Data from 821 competitive athletes from different sports and performance levels ( M _age = 22.24, age range = 16–40; 449 women, 371 men, 1 diverse) were stratified into two samples. The ACO algorithm was applied in Sample 1, and the results were cross-validated in Sample 2 using confirmatory factor analysis. The 6-item solution retained the original three-factor structure, yielded a good model fit in both samples (Sample 1: CFI = 1.000, RMSEA < .001, SRMR = .017; Sample 2: CFI = 1.000, RMSEA = .021, SRMR = .020), and demonstrated significant correlations with stress and life satisfaction. Consequently, the shortened questionnaire represents a psychometrically sound and economic tool for assessing athletic burnout symptoms in research and applied sport psychology.

Epidemiological data indicates that university students are an at-risk population for the development of mental disorders. Online interventions have been proposed as promising tools for reducing barriers to treatment and establishing easily accessible health-care services promoting mental health and resilience. This study investigated the efficacy of a Learning Management System (LMS)-based self-guided online resilience intervention. 216 university students took part in a randomized controlled trial with an intervention and a waitlist control group and three measurement points (pre, post and follow-up). We conducted per-protocol (PP) and intention-to-treat (ITT) analyses with mental distress as primary outcome, and self-reported resilience and resilience factors as secondary outcomes. Further, attitudes towards online interventions, adherence, satisfaction and possible negative effects were explored. Satisfaction with the intervention was high and PP analyses ( n = 150) revealed significant improvements in mental distress and self-compassion at post-test and acceptance at follow-up. No favourable effects were found for self-reported resilience and resilience factors. Adherence was low and ITT analyses revealed no significant effects. Overall, the study provides preliminary evidence for the LMS-based self-guided online intervention as a potentially valuable tool for university mental health services under optimal adherence conditions. Further research into determinants of adherence is needed to improve intervention reach.

Healthcare professionals (HCPs) experience high occupational stress, contributing to mental health problems and workforce attrition. Scalable, low-threshold digital resilience interventions may alleviate this burden. This randomized controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness of resiLIR HCP, a 6-week, self-guided, web-based intervention focusing on self-care and self-compassion with brief daily exercises, in promoting HCP resilience. HCPs (N = 234, IG: n = 118, CG: n = 116) were randomized to the intervention or a waitlist control group. Online assessments were conducted at baseline, mid-intervention, post-intervention, and at 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups. The primary outcome was resilience operationalized as time-varying stressor reactivity. Secondary outcomes included resilience- and work-related outcomes. Intervention effects were primarily evaluated from baseline to post-intervention and 3-month follow-up. Analyses followed per-protocol (PP) and intention-to-treat (ITT) approaches. Preregistration: NCT05812716. PP analyses (IG: n = 45, CG: n = 84) revealed significant group × time intervention effects on stressor reactivity at post-intervention, which attenuated at follow-up. Significant effects at post-intervention were observed for self-care, self-compassion, self-efficacy, and psychological distress, whereas effects on depressive and anxiety symptoms were not robust after adjustment for multiple testing. No significant effects were found for work-related outcomes. ITT analyses did not reveal any significant effects, neither for the primary outcome nor secondary outcomes after adjusting for multiple testing. Only 43.2% met the predefined adherence criterion. PP analyses revealed beneficial effects of resiLIR HCP, whereas ITT analyses provided weaker evidence. Limited adherence and non-significant effects on work-related outcomes highlight the need to enhance engagement and integrate digital interventions into multi-level prevention strategies.