Mental health, particularly the early detection of psychological distress among elite athletes, is of critical importance. To make the Sport Mental Health Assessment Tool 1 (SMHAT-1) and the Sport Mental Health Recognition Tool 1 (SMHRT-1) available for German-speaking populations, this study aimed to translate and validate the screening instruments of the SMHAT-1 and the SMHRT-1 into German, as well as to evaluate the psychometric properties of the screening instruments. The SMHAT-1 screening instruments and the SMHRT-1 handout were translated using a systematic seven-step process. Forward translations were performed by native speakers of the target language (German) fluent in the source language (English), followed by back-translations by native speakers of English fluent in German. Validation occurred in three phases: a pilot test with 30 athletes to assess clarity, preliminary psychometric testing with 177 bilingual participants to evaluate criterion equivalence, and full psychometric testing with 235 athletes from regional to Olympic levels. Reliability, construct, and criterion validity were assessed. Internal consistency was acceptable to good for most tools, and all instruments demonstrated strong equivalence with their original versions. The Athlete Psychological Strain Questionnaire (APSQ) exhibited strong convergent validity with the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-10; r = 0. 81) and all participants with a self-reported professionally diagnosed mental disorder had APSQ scores above the screening threshold. Prevalence rates highlighted common mental health concerns in athletes, including anxiety (17. 0%), depression (23. 8%), and disordered eating (36. 1%). The German SMHAT-1 demonstrated robust psychometric properties and is a reliable tool for assessing mental health in athletes. The German and English versions of the SMHAT-1 and SMHRT-1 are available for download here: SMHAT-1 German: https: //img. olympics. com/images/image/private/wₐuto/primary/hr8i8nfbwf8gldsthqgd SMHAT-1 English: https: //img. olympics. com/images/image/private/wₐuto/primary/ttpbrdzvhofmabszbynq SMHRT-1 German: https: //www. olympics. com/athlete365/app/uploads/2021/06/SMHRT-1german. pdf SMHRT-1 English: https: //www. olympics. com/athlete365/app/uploads/2021/06/BJSM-SMHRT-1-Athlete365-2020-102411. pdf
Kaminski et al. (Mon,) studied this question.