Philip Sullivan, Brock University

Research

mental health literacy asset mapping high performance sport stigma help seeking group dynamics behavioral synchrony social outcomes

Latest papers

Bridging policy and practice: exploring mental health assets in varsity athletes and non-athletes in Canada.
Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026 · senior author
Mental health and officiating performance.
Frontiers in psychology · 2025 · senior author
Examining the dual continua model of mental health in student-athletes.
Psychology of sport and exercise · 2025 · first author

All 8 publications

Latest funding

Mapping Mental Health Assets in Canadian High Performance Sport
SSHRC · 2024 · Principal investigator
$37,400
Evaluation of the Mental Health Strategy for High Performance Sport in Canada: Are we behind, ahead or exactly where we want to be as a nation?
SSHRC · 2024 · Co-investigator
$41,800
Sports as a catalyst to enhance youth health equity and wellbeing: Youth tackling challenges and piloting solutions
CIHR · 2023 · Co-investigator
$98,000

All 9 grants and awards

8 publications.

01

Bridging policy and practice: exploring mental health assets in varsity athletes and non-athletes in Canada.

Malcolm J, Sullivan P

Frontiers in sports and active living2026Senior author

DOI: 10.3389/fspor.2026.1800374 PMID: 42688148

02

Mental health and officiating performance.

Taylor N, Hancock D, Sullivan P

Frontiers in psychology2025Senior author

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1720108 PMID: 41567472

03

Examining the dual continua model of mental health in student-athletes.

Sullivan P, Celebre J

Psychology of sport and exercise2025First author

DOI: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2025.102820 PMID: 39900170

04

Implementing a scoping review to explore sport officials' mental health.

Carter TB, Gorczynski P, Coady CJ, Cunningham IJ, Mascarenhas DRD, Grant M, Sullivan P, Webb T, Livingston LA, Hancock DJ

Frontiers in sports and active living2024

DOI: 10.3389/fspor.2024.1436149 PMID: 39135607

05

Mental toughness and choking susceptibility in athletes.

Thiessen B, Blacker M, Sullivan P

Frontiers in psychology2024Senior author

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1414499 PMID: 39105144

06

Influence of Neck Pain, Cervical Extensor Muscle Fatigue, and Manual Therapy on Wrist Proprioception.

Reece A, Marini F, Mugnosso M, Frost G, Sullivan P, Zabihhosseinian M, Zenzeri J, Holmes MWR

Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics2022

DOI: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2022.06.002 PMID: 35906104

07

Are Athletes' Doping-Related Attitudes Predicted by Their Perceptions of Coaches' Confrontation Efficacy?

Sullivan P, Razavi P

Substance use & misuse2017First author

DOI: 10.1080/10826084.2016.1272613 PMID: 28429996

08

The Effect of Different Phases of Synchrony on Pain Threshold in a Drumming Task.

Sullivan P, Blacker M

Frontiers in psychology2017First author

DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01034 PMID: 28690569

Mapping Mental Health Assets in Canadian High Performance Sport

Principal investigatorSSHRC2024Sport Participation Research Initiative

Principal investigators: Sullivan, Philip J.

Keywords: mental health literacy; asset mapping; high performance sport; stigma; help seeking

$37,400

Evaluation of the Mental Health Strategy for High Performance Sport in Canada: Are we behind, ahead or exactly where we want to be as a nation?

Co-investigatorSSHRC2024Partnership Development Grants

Principal investigators: Durand-Bush, Natalie

Keywords: mental health; sport; evaluation; strategic plan; participatory action research; sport culture

$41,800

Sports as a catalyst to enhance youth health equity and wellbeing: Youth tackling challenges and piloting solutions

Co-investigatorCIHR2023Catalyst Grant: Healthy Youth - Promoting Health Equity in Canada's Youth

Principal investigators: Black, Amanda M; Dimitropoulos, Gina; Jewell, Carley; Lashington-Francis, LeVar

Keywords: Concussion; Epidemiology; Health Inequity; Injury Prevention; Mental Health

$98,000

Exploring sport officials' mental health

Co-investigatorSSHRC2021Partnership Development Grants

Principal investigators: Hancock, David J.

Keywords: sport; sport officials' referees; mental health; well-being

$124,808

Exploring sport officials' mental health

Co-investigatorSSHRC2021Partnership Development Grants

Principal investigators: Hancock, David J.

Keywords: sport; sport officials' referees; mental health; well-being

$62,606

Assessing the efficacy of an age dispensation program in youth rugby in Ontario

Principal investigatorSSHRC2018Partnership Engage Grants

Principal investigators: Sullivan, Philip J.

Keywords: youth; sport; safety; development; physical literacy

$21,061

The effect of synchronized behavior in small groups

Principal investigatorSSHRC2015Insight Grants

Principal investigators: Sullivan, Philip J.

Keywords: group dynamics; behavioral synchrony; social outcomes; pain threshold; endorphins

$140,000

The effect of coaching in youth sport in Canada

Principal investigatorSSHRC2007Sport Participation Research Initiative

Principal investigators: Sullivan, Philip J.

Keywords: sport; youth; coaching; health; personal development; psychometrics; leadership

$74,377

The psychological effect of Canada's national coaching education program

Principal investigatorSSHRC2003Standard Research Grants

Principal investigators: Sullivan, Philip J.

Keywords: self-efficacy; coaching efficacy; gender; education; coaching; sport

$62,653

From CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions: CIHR since 2008, NSERC since 1991 and SSHRC since 1998, including their latest published competition results.

Frequent collaborators

David Hancock

Sports Psychology

1 shared papers, latest 2025

Write to this professor

A short, specific email works best. This draft uses one of their recent papers; replace the parts in brackets with your own details before sending.

Applying for

Paper to mentionMention their SSHRC grant from 2024

Subject: Prospective PhD student: mental health literacy Dear Professor Sullivan, My name is [your name], and I am a [your current degree or role] at [your institution]. I am applying for a PhD position starting in [term and year]. I read your paper "Bridging policy and practice: exploring mental health assets in varsity athletes and non-athletes in Canada." (2026), and it connects closely to my own work on [your research topic]. [One or two sentences on what you did and what you learned.] I also saw your SSHRC-funded project "Mapping Mental Health Assets in Canadian High Performance Sport" (2024), and I would be glad to contribute to work in that direction. Are you accepting new PhD students for [term and year]? I have attached my CV and transcripts, and I would be glad to talk at a time that suits you. Thank you for your time. Kind regards, [your name]