Between Struggle and Success

This study explores the differences in mental health framing across diverse media platforms between 2018 and 2025. More specifically, the case study identifies differences in the mental health framing of the Dutch footballer Vivianne Miedema across online news articles, documentaries, social media, and YouTube interviews. While mental health in elite sports has received increasing attention in media coverage, academic research, and public discourse, most of the existing literature remains limited to high profile athletes and crisis moments. This study addresses these gaps by conducting a cross-platform framing analysis of media coverage of Miedema's mental health. The study is guided by the central research question: How have different types of media framed Vivianne Miedema's mental health struggles between 2018 and 2025? It draws on Entman's (1993) four framing functions (problem definition, causal interpretation, moral evaluation, and treatment recommendation) (p. 52). Further, distinctions between episodic and thematic and generic and issue- specific framing styles are employed. The study applied a mixed data analysis, combining qualitative content and framing analysis with quantitative frequency counts. A total of 48 media units were selected through purposeful and maximum variation sampling. Throughout the analysis, frames were developed inductively and theoretically to ensure analytical rigour and depth. Subsequently, the frames were organised into overarching framing categories. The analysis identified five overarching framing categories: affirmative framing, personal struggle and identity framing, critical and systematic framing, performance-oriented framing, and misrepresentative framing. The study found significant differences between media types. Affirmative framing emerged as the most dominant category, particularly in online articles and YouTube interviews. Social media platforms commonly employed episodic and generic framing which simplified mental health narratives and emphasised emotional narratives. Contrary, longer formats were more thematic and issue-specific and contextualised her issues within broader structural dynamics. The analysis revealed that platform-specific conventions influenced the coverage, finding that some representations continue to simplify or individualise complex mental health issues. This study contributed to research on framing, mental health and women's sport by offering a cross-platform perspective. Additionally, the study emphasises the need for more context-sensitive practices in sports media and recommendations on the adjustment of framing theory to media analyses.