Impact of mindfulness-based interventions on sports performance and mental health: An umbrella review.
Boyuan Xie, Siman Lei, Ngai Choi, Siu Ming Choi, Xiuqiang Wang, Yiwen Chen
Journal of exercise science and fitness October 1, 2025 DOI: 10.1016/j.jesf.2025.06.008 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Umbrella review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 10,503 |
| Population | Athletes |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-Based Interventions |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Athlete Mental health Sports performance |
| Citations | 14 |
| Key findings | Mindfulness-based interventions show positive trends for improving sports performance and mental health in athletes, but the evidence is limited by the critically low methodological quality of most systematic reviews. |
Abstract
While Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) are increasingly explored for enhancing sports performance and mental health in athletes, existing systematic reviews present conflicting results regarding their efficacy due to methodological inconsistencies and varied athlete populations. To address these discrepancies, this umbrella review critically evaluates evidence from systematic reviews to determine the aggregate effects of MBIs on sports performance, mindfulness indicators, and mental health outcomes among athletes. Systematic searches of PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, ScienceDirect, and Scopus were conducted from inception to January 2024. Included studies were systematic reviews examining MBIs for athletic populations and reporting on sports performance, mindfulness indicators, or mental health outcomes. Methodological quality of included reviews was appraised using AMSTAR-2. Fifteen systematic reviews and meta-analyses, encompassing 10,503 athletes, met inclusion criteria. Most reviews indicated positive trends for MBIs in improving sports performance, mindfulness indicators and various mental health outcomes. However, substantial methodological heterogeneity in primary study designs and MBIs protocols across reviews limited definitive conclusions. Critically, AMSTAR-2 assessments revealed that the majority (11 of 15, 73 %) of included reviews were of critically low methodological quality, with the remainder rated as low quality. While MBIs show potential to foster improved sports performance and mental health in athletes, the current evidence base is considerably weakened by the poor methodological quality of existing systematic reviews. A pressing need exists for future research to employ more rigorous methodologies, standardised intervention protocols, and consistent outcome reporting to establish a robust evidence base for the application of MBIs in sports.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being Diverse adult clinical populations | 2014 | Meta-analysis | n = 3,515 |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis Healthy subjects | 2009 | Systematic review and meta-analysis | |
| The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Nonclinical groups of adult meditators | 2012 | Meta-analysis | n = 163 |
| Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse Adults with recurrent depression in full or partial remission | 2016 | Meta-analysis of individual patient data from randomized controlled trials | n = 1,258 |
| Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials | 2011 | Systematic review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 5
- The Effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Enhancing Psychological Well-Being in Athletes: A Scoping Review of Randomised Controlled Trials Healthcare September 8, 2026
- The role and structural analysis of mindfulness-related publications in exercise and sport psychology research from a bibliometric perspective International Journal Of Eurasia Social Sciences December 1, 2025
- Effects of Mindfulness-Acceptance-Insight-Commitment (MAIC) Training on Stress and Sleep Quality in Elite Swimmers: A Randomized Controlled Mixed-Methods Trial. Behavioral Sciences June 29, 2026
- Efectos del Modelo de Atención Plena Compasiva sobre la ansiedad precompetitiva, la conciencia plena y la compasión en Taekwondistas de alto rendimiento: un ensayo clínico controlado aleatorizado European Journal of Child Development, Education and Psychopathology May 5, 2026
- Enhancing psychological performance and basketball skills: a comparative study of elite athletes and college recreational players after an 8-week mindfulness intervention. Frontiers in Psychology April 22, 2026
Cites 6
- Mindfulness Interventions Annual Review of Psychology September 30, 2016
- Effect of yoga and mindfulness on psychological correlates in young athletes: A meta-analysis. Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine 2023
- Effects of brief online mindful sport performance enhancement on athletes' mental health, emotion regulation, and performance: a mixed-methods randomized controlled trial. International journal of sports medicine June 16, 2025
- Effects of Mindfulness-Based Interventions on Promoting Athletic Performance and Related Factors among Athletes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trial International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health January 22, 2023
- Mindfulness-Based Interventions for University Students: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being November 19, 2019
and 1 more in the library