Journal article
Mental Health Promotion in the Personal Trainer-Client Relationship: A Cross-Sectional Analysis
Health Promotion Journal of Australia, Vol.37(3), pp.1-13
2026
PMID: 42089549
Appears in UniSC Supported Open Access Outputs
Abstract
Issue Addressed
In Australia, one in five adults experiences a mental disorder and 1.5 million individuals exercise with a personal trainer or coach. Consequently, personal trainers are likely exposed to individuals with mental health concerns, despite having minimal mental health training. This study aimed to explore personal trainers' exposure and responses to clients' mental health concerns.
Methods
Australian personal trainers responded to an online survey which assessed how frequently personal trainers observed clients with mental health concerns and their responses to these concerns. Bivariate correlations, chi-square tests of independence and independent samples t-tests were used to assess relationships between variables.
Results
Of 56 personal trainers, almost all (96%) reported encountering mental health concerns from clients and 48% reported a frequency of at least weekly. Worry/anxiety (50%) and significant interpersonal stress (46%) were identified by the personal trainers as the most frequently observed client concerns. In response to client concerns, most personal trainers (89%) used listening skills, while those who had received mental health training were more likely to refer clients to mental health professionals.
Conclusions
Despite a lack of formal training, personal trainers are frequently exposed to individuals with mental health concerns. There is a need for appropriate mental health training in this profession to allow for adequate referral pathways.
So What?
Our findings indicate personal trainers play a role in mental health promotion. By providing personal trainers with adequate training, they can refer clients with mental health concerns to mental health professionals.
Details
- Title
- Mental Health Promotion in the Personal Trainer-Client Relationship: A Cross-Sectional Analysis
- Authors
- Indi Dissanayake (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine CoastOscar Lederman - University of Technology SydneyKathina Ali - University of the Sunshine CoastRachael L Home - University of the Sunshine CoastDaniel B Fassnacht - University of the Sunshine Coast
- Publication details
- Health Promotion Journal of Australia, Vol.37(3), pp.1-13
- Publisher
- John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
- Date published
- 2026
- DOI
- 10.1002/hpja.70194
- ISSN
- 2201-1617
- PMID
- 42089549
- Copyright note
- © 2026 The Author(s). Health Promotion Journal of Australia published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australian Health Promotion Association. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.
- Data Availability
- The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
- Organisation Unit
- Healthy Ageing Research Cluster; School of Health - Psychology
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991229307102621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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