The roles of readiness and dosage in predicting outcomes of a mindful sport performance enhancement intervention with U.S. college student-athletes.

Summary

Collegiate athletes who completed a mindfulness-based program (Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement, MSPE) reported fewer depressive symptoms, fewer difficulties with emotion regulation, and better self-rated sport performance compared to a control group. At a six-week follow-up, they also showed increased mindfulness and sport enjoyment, and the improvements in emotion regulation were sustained. Readiness to practice mindfulness before the program did not predict changes, but higher readiness after the program was linked to greater mindfulness, life satisfaction, sport enjoyment, and more engagement with the practice. The findings suggest that readiness after an intervention may matter more than readiness beforehand for long-term mindfulness practice and outcomes.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Research suggests that Mindfulness- and Acceptance-Based Interventions (MABIs) can impact sport performance and performance-relevant factors, though questions remain regarding when and for whom MABIs are effective. Specifically, inquiries into intervention engagement (i.e., dosage), potentially impacted by participant readiness, are needed. The present study utilized a non-randomized control group design with U.S. collegiate athletes to investigate MABI effects. Four teams from two universities in the Appalachian region (N = 57) engaged in Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement (MSPE) interventions during their offseason or pre-season training period. Participants were assessed on flow, psychological distress, mindfulness, emotion regulation difficulties, life satisfaction, readiness to practice mindfulness, attitudes toward sport psychology, and sport performance and enjoyment. Mindfulness dosage was measured weekly via self-report. Compared to controls, initial MSPE participants reported reductions in depressive symptoms and emotion regulation difficulties, and improvements in self-rated sport performance; at 6-week follow-up, initial MSPE participants reported significant increases in mindfulness and sport enjoyment, in addition to sustained reductions in emotion regulation difficulties. Pre-intervention readiness was not associated with changes across the intervention, though higher post-intervention readiness was associated with improvements in mindfulness, life satisfaction, and sport enjoyment. Higher post-intervention readiness was also associated with significantly more engagement (i.e., dosage), though no evidence indicated that dosage moderated the relationship between readiness and outcomes. These data suggest that post-intervention readiness may impact long-term engagement in mindfulness practice, and that pre-intervention readiness may not be an accurate indicator of engagement in or outcomes of an MABI with athletes.