Tom Henning Øvrebø

Assistant Professor Department of Sport and Social Sciences

Email: tomho@nih.no
Phone: +47 23 26 24 14

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Background and experience

Tom Henning Øvrebø is a university lecturer at the Department of Sport and Social Sciences (20% position). He was trained as a clinical psychologist at the University of Oslo (1998) and became a specialist in work and organizational psychology in 2007. He now works as a specialist psychologist at the Norwegian Center for Sport and Mental Health (nsiph.no), and he also holds a part-time position at Olympiatoppen, Department of Sport Psychology (20%).

Tom Henning is particularly concerned with mental health in elite and grassroots sports, and with the kinds of environments that promote good conditions for development, well-being, and positive mental health. He is currently completing a doctoral project focusing on mental health in elite sports.

Tom Henning also has a background as a football referee, both at grassroots and elite levels. He was an international referee from 1994 to 2010 and officiated for many years in the Champions League (2001–2010).

Teaching

Sport psychology. Course coordinator for Group Psychology and Mental Skills Training. In the spring semester of 2026, he will also be the course coordinator for Applied Sport Psychology (substituting for Professor Anne Marte Pensgaard).

Projects

Mental health in elite sport

Øvrebø, Tom Henning; Ivarsson, Andreas; Kenttä, Göran; Knudsen, Ann Kristin Skrindo; Reneflot, Anne & Pensgaard, Anne Marte (2026). Working Under Pressure—Mental Health and Life Satisfaction Among Elite Coaches in Norway. International Sport Coaching Journal. ISSN 2328-918X. 13(3), p. 450–464. doi: 10.1123/iscj.2025-0044. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Working as a coach within a high-performance context is a demanding profession that may adversely affect mental health. However, empirical knowledge concerning the mental health of elite coaches remains limited. Consequently, this study investigated mental distress among elite coaches in Norway, its associations with work environment factors and life satisfaction, and the prevalence of diagnosable mental disorders. A two-phase design was adopted. In Phase 1, 114 coaches completed an online self-report questionnaire assessing mental distress, work environment, and life satisfaction. Coaches identified as “at-risk” for a mental disorder were subsequently invited to Phase 2, which consisted of structured diagnostic interviews using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. In Phase 1, 35.1% of coaches reported “at-risk” scores for mental health problems, with symptoms of insomnia, depression, and anxiety most frequently observed. In Phase 2, 28 coaches participated, of whom 46.4% met diagnostic criteria for a mental disorder. Work-related variables particularly psychological safety, unpredictability, role expectations, and work–life imbalance were more strongly associated with both mental health challenges and life satisfaction than others. These findings highlight the importance of promoting sustainable work environments and ensuring access to early intervention, treatment, and adequate resources to support mental health challenges in elite coaching.
Øvrebø, Tom Henning; Ivarsson, Andreas; Sundgot-Borgen, Jorunn; Knudsen, Ann Kristin Skrindo; Reneflot, Anne & Pensgaard, Anne Marte (2023). Mental health problems in elite sport: the difference in the distribution of mental distress and mental disorders among a sample of Norwegian elite athletes. BMJ Open sport & exercise medicine. 9(3). doi: 10.1136/bmjsem-2023-001538. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Objectives: To, based on diagnostic interviews, investigate the distribution of mental disorders among a sample of Norwegian elite athletes with ‘at-risk scores’ on a self-report questionnaire measuring symptoms of mental health problems. Then, to investigate the relationship between ‘at-risk scores’ and diagnosed mental disorders. Methods: A two-phase, cross-sectional design was used. In phase 1, 378 elite athletes completed a questionnaire, including validated self-report psychiatric instruments assessing symptoms of mental disorders. In phase 2, we assessed the 30-day presence of the same disorders through diagnostic interviews with the athletes with ‘at-risk scores’ using the fifth version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Results: Two hundred and eighty athletes (74.1%) had an ‘at-risk score,’ and 106 of these athletes (37.9%) completed diagnostic interviews. Forty-seven athletes (44.3%) were diagnosed with a mental disorder. Sleep problems (24.5%) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and OCD-related disorders (18.9%), mainly represented by body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), were most common. Anxiety disorders (6.6%), eating disorders (5.7%) and alcohol use disorder (≤4.7%) were less frequent. Affective disorders, gambling and drug use disorder were not present. Results from self-report questionnaires did not, in most cases, adequately mirror the number of mental disorders identified using diagnostic interviews. Conclusions: Using self-report questionnaires to map mental distress among elite athletes can be beneficial. If the aim, however, is to investigate mental disorders, one should move beyond self-report questionnaires and use diagnostic interviews and diagnostic instruments. In our study, sleep problems and BDD were the most prevalent. Longitudinal studies are needed to investigate these findings further.
Pensgaard, Anne Marte; Øvrebø, Tom Henning & Ivarsson, Andreas (2021). Mental health among elite athletes in Norway during a selected period of the COVID-19 pandemic. BMJ Open sport & exercise medicine. 7(1). doi: 10.1136/bmjsem-2020-001025. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Objective: To investigate the prevalence of mental health problems and satisfaction with life among different groups of elite athletes during a selected period of the COVID-19 pandemic and examine how COVID-19 related consequences were associated with these variables. Design: Cross-sectional data collection during a selected period of the COVID-19 pandemic in Norway. Participants: 378 elite athletes, mean age 26.86 (range 18–59), 159 females and 219 males, divided into Olympic-level and Paralympic-level athletes (n=194) and elite and semielite athletes (n=184). Main outcome measures: Hopkins Symptoms Check List − 10; symptoms of anxiety and depression; Bergen Insomnia Scale; Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire Short; Canadian Problem Gambling Index and Satisfaction with Life Scale. In addition, we included specific COVID-19 questions (eg, financial concern, keeping daily routines, perceived coping and motivation). Results: Symptoms of insomnia (38.3%) and depression (22.3%) were most prevalent within the sample. Symptoms of eating disorders more prevalent among female athletes (8.8% vs 1.4%) while symptoms of gambling problems were higher among male athletes (8.6% vs 1.3%). Olympic and Paralympic athletes reported lower levels of anxiety and depression symptoms than elite and semielite athletes. Financial concerns were associated with an increased risk of mental health problems, while daily routines and perception of coping were associated with less mental health problems and higher satisfaction with life. Conclusion: Symptoms of insomnia and depression were the two most common mental health problems reported during this selected phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Elite and semielite athletes reported financial concerns as a risk factor for mental health problems at a larger degree than Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

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Nygård, Mari & Øvrebø, Tom Henning (2026). Voldsomme jordskjelv i Venezuela - Dagens - NRK Radio. [Radio]. NRK P1. Full text in Research Archive Show summary
Mora til Fernando de Ornelas i Skien ringte hjem i natt og fortalte om kraftige jordskjelv i Caracas i Venezuela.

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Published Mar. 26, 2025 9:44 AM - Last modified Nov. 18, 2025 2:00 PM