Meet Dr Vella

Dr Stewart Vella is a worldwide thought leader in the field of mental health in sport. Stewart is the most published scientific researcher in world on the topic of mental health in sport with over 150 scientific research outputs. He is a Subject Matter Expert on mental health and sport with Movember. His work spans mental health programs, mental health guidelines, psychological safety, and mental fitness. His “Ahead of the Game” program is currently being scaled globally, including as the official program of the Rugby League World Cup 2021. Dr Vella has over $14 million in research funding.

Dr Vella co-authored an International Consensus Statement on Mental Health in Sport, and is currently leading efforts to produce mental health guidelines. He is also at the forefront of research and practice on psychological safety and mental fitness in sport.

Walton, C. C., Purcell, R., Pilkington, V., Hall, K., Kenttä, G., Vella, S., & Rice, S. M. (2024). Psychological safety for mental health in elite sport: A theoretically informed model. Sports Medicine. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-023-01912-2

Schweickle, M., Graupensperger, S., Liddelow, C., Sutcliffe, J. T., Swann, C., & Vella, S. (2024). Potential moderators and mediators of intervention effects in a sport-based mental health literacy and resilience program for adolescent men. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200.2023.2208632

Liddelow, C., Schweickle, M., Sutcliffe, J. T., Swann, C., Keegan, R., Rice, S., Okely, A., & Vella, S. (2024). Defining the scope and content of mental health guidelines for community sport in Australia: A Delphi study. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 102553. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2023.102553

Pankow, K., Sutcliffe, J. T., Conyers, D., Robinson, L. D., Schweickle, M., Liddelow, C., & Vella, S. (2024). Mental health risk and protective factors in Australian cricket. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/1612197X.2024.2310103

Santos, F., Camiré, M., Pierce, S., MacDonald, D. J., Strachan, L., Newman, T., Vella, S., & Milistetd, M. (2024). Using social learning spaces to think beyond and innovate conventional conferencing formats. Kinesiology Review. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1123/kr.2023-0017

Bruner, M. W., McLaren, C. D., Sutcliffe, J. T., Gardner, L. A., Lubans, D. R., Smith, J. J., & Vella, S. A. (2023). The effect of sport-based interventions on positive youth development: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 1-31. https://doi.org/10.1080/1750984X.2021.1875496

Camiré, M., Santos, F., Newman, T., Vella, S., MacDonald, D. J., Milistetd, M., Pierce, S., & Strachan, L. (2023). Positive youth development as a guiding framework in sport research: Is it time to plan for a transition? Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 102505. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2023.102505

Liddelow, C., White, B., Arnold, E., & Vella, S. (2023). A cross-sectional study of the psychosocial predictors of re-engaging in team sport during early motherhood. Mental Health and Physical Activity, 100555. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mhpa.2023.100555

Vella, S., Sutcliffe, J. T., Fernandez, D., Liddelow, C., Aidman, E., Teychenne, M., Smith, J. J., Swann, C., Rosenbaum, S., White, R. L., & Hall, K. (2023). Context matters: A review of reviews examining the effects of contextual factors in physical activity interventions on mental health and wellbeing. Mental Health and Physical Activity, 100520. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mhpa.2023.100520

For the other 161 research outputs Stewart has published, please visit here: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0537-9366