Mental Health and Elite Athletes

Walton CC, Purcell R, Kenttä G (2026). The case against performance framing of mental healthcare in elite sport. Performance Enhancement & Health

Pilkington V, Walton CC, Gwyther K, Butterworth M, Rice S, & Purcell R (2025). Mental health service provision in elite sport: An evaluation of the Australian Institute of Sport Mental Health Referral Network. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology.

Purcell R, Pilkington V, Carberry S, Reid D, Gwyther K, Hall K, Deacon A, Menon R, Walton CC, & Rice S (2022). An evidence-informed framework to promote mental wellbeing in sport. Frontiers in Psychology

Walton CC & Liknaitzky P (2022). Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy for elite athletes. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology

Gwyther K, Rice S, Purcell R, Pilkington V, Santesteban-Echarri O, Bailey A, & Walton CC (2022). Sleep interventions for performance, mood and sleep outcomes in athletes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychology of Sport and Exercise

Walton CC, Rice S, Gao CX, Butterworth M, Clements M, & Purcell R (2021). Gender differences in mental health symptoms and risk factors in Australian elite athletes. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine

Bennie A, Walton CC, O’Connor D, Fitzsimons L, & Hammond T (2021). Exploring the experiences and well-being of Australian Rio Olympians during the post-Olympic phase: A qualitative study. Frontiers in Psychology

Walton CC, Rice S, Gao CX, Butterworth M, Clements M, & Purcell R (2021). Gender differences in mental health symptoms and risk factors in Australian elite athletes. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine

Mental Health among Community and Youth Athletes

Vella S, Liddelow C, Rice S, Keegan R, Hall K, Jones M, Lubans D, McLeod S, Okely A, Olive L, Purcell R, Reece L, Rosenbaum S, Schweickle M, Singh K, Stewart D, Stimpson L, Sutcliffe J, Teychenne M, Walton CC, & Swann, C. (2025). The development of Australian mental health guidelines for community sport. British Journal of Sports Medicine

Walton CC, Purcell R, Henderson JL, Kim J, Kerr G, Frost J, Gwyther K, Pilkington V, Rice SM, & Tamminen KA (2024). Mental health among elite youth athletes: A narrative overview to advance research and practice. Sports Health

Marrows M, Grover H, Buckley G, Jeacocke NA, & Walton CC (2023). Disordered eating in elite youth athletes: A scoping review of studies published since 2000. JSAMS Plus

Purcell E, Henderson J, Tamminen KA, Frost J, Gwyther G, Kerr G, Kim J, Pilkington V, Rice SM, & Walton CC (2023). Starting young to protect elite athlete mental health. British Journal of Sports Medicine

Walton CC, Carberry S, Milson M, Purcell R, Olive L, Vella S, & Rice S (2022). Supporting mental health in youth sport: Introducing a toolkit for coaches, clubs and organisations. International Sport Coaching Journal

Walton CC, Rice S, Hutter RI, Currie A, Reardon CL, & Purcell R (2021). Mental health in youth athletes: A clinical review.  Advances in Psychiatry and Behavioral Health

Self-Compassion, Mindfulness, Psychological Safety, and Related Themes

Walton CC, Kirby JN, McKenzie S, Gao CX, Purcell R, Rice SM, & Osborne MS. (2025). A preliminary investigation into self-compassion and compassion-based intervention for mental health in the performing arts.Frontiers in Psychology

Walton CC, Purcell R, Pilkington V, Hall K, Kenttä G, Vella S, & Rice SM (2023). Psychological safety for mental health in elite sport: A theoretically informed model. Sports Medicine

Walton CC, Osborne M, Gilbert P, & Kirby K (2022). Nurturing self-compassionate performers. Australian Psychologist

Lewis KJ, Walton CC, Slemp G, & Osborne M (2022). Mindfulness and nonattachment-to-self in athletes” Can letting go build wellbeing and self-actualization?Mindfulness

Walton CC, Lewis KJ, Kirby J, Purcell R, Rice S, & Osborne M (2022). Self-compassionate motivation and athlete well-being: The critical role of distress tolerance. Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology

Rice S, Walton CC, Pilkington V, Gwyther K, Olive LS, Lloyd M, ... & Purcell R (2022) Psychological safety in elite sport settings: a psychometric study of the Sport Psychological Safety Inventory. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine

Walton CC, Baranoff J, Gilbert P, & Kirby J (2020). Self-compassion, social rank, and psychological distress in athletes of varying competitive levels. Psychology of Sport & Exercise

Mental Health among other High-Performance Populations

Frost J, Purcell R, Rice SM, & Walton CC (2026). ‘The players are the focus, it's never spoken about as coaches’: Perceived factors influencing the mental health of Australian elite-level coaches. Psychology of Spot and Exercise

Frost J, Purcell R, Rice SM, Tamminen K, Gouttebarge V, Adams WM, & Walton CC (2026). Mental health literacy in elite-level coaches: Recognition and management of depression and burnout. Journal of Applied Sports Psychology

Lindsay R, Walton CC, Kittel A, McNeil DG, Larkin P, Spittle M, & Cosh SM (2025). The mental health of sporting officials: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports Medicine

Frost J, Walton CC, Rice SM, Davey C, & Purcell R (2025). Organisational risk factors for depression, anxiety, and alcohol use among elite-level coaches: a cross-sectional study. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology

Ahadi N, Harris E, & Walton CC (2025). A qualitative study of body image among competitive women pole dancers. Psychology of Sport and Exercise

Frost J, Walton CC, Donaldson A, Rice SM, & Purcell R (2025). Olympic and Paralympic coaches' perceived barriers to mental health help-seeking: A concept mapping study. British Journal of Sports Medicine

Frost J, Walton CC, Purcell R, Fisher K, Gwyther K, Kocherginsky M, & Rice SM (2024). The mental health of elite-level coaches: A systematic scoping review. Sports Medicine-Open

General Sport Psychology

Walton CC, Gwyther K, Gao CX, Purcell R, & Rice SM (2022). Evidence of gender imbalance across samples in sport and exercise psychology. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology

Walton CC, Keegan, RJ, Martin M, & Hallock H (2018). The potential role for cognitive training in sport: More research needed. Frontiers in Psychology