Policy requirements and coach mental health training: a mixed methods analysis of online versus in-person delivery modalities

Introduction Amid growing concerns about youth mental health, several states in the U.S. have enacted policies requiring mental health training for school-based sport coaches. Methods This mixed methods study explored the delivery of mental health training for coaches in Ohio in response to new policy mandates, comparing the effectiveness of in-person and asynchronous online formats. A total of 1,690 coaches completed evaluations after participating in an online ( n = 978) or in-person ( n = 712) state-approved mental health training. Results Repeated measures ANOVA analyses revealed statistically significant increases in coaches’ confidence in supporting student-athletes with mental health concerns and in linking them to appropriate supports, regardless of the delivery modality ( p < .001). Small but significant interaction effects indicated slightly greater confidence gains among online participants ( η 2 = .011 for supporting concerns; η 2 = .005 for linking to supports). Qualitative analysis of open-ended responses about perceived learning from online participants identified five major themes: (1) Approaching struggling student-athletes, where coaches highlighted new skills in de-escalation, emotional regulation, and engaging in difficult conversations; (2) Wellness check-ins, where coaches learned relational strategies to monitor well-being; (3) Q.P.P.R. (Question, Pause/Persuade, Refer), which improved coaches’ recognition of warning signs and confidence in crisis conversations; (4) Creating dialogue with open-ended questions, which provided sentence starters to elicit meaningful conversations; and (5) Referring student-athletes to resources, which underscored the importance of knowing referral pathways. Discussion Findings suggest coach educators can leverage technology to design interactive online coach training sessions that yield comparable learning outcomes to those of in-person training. Our results inform scalable, policy-aligned solutions that can enhance coach preparedness by leveraging technology to equip coaches with best practices in supporting student-athlete mental health.