Effects of group mindfulness intervention on high-level distance runners: a quasi-experimental study.
Bence Kelemen, Renátó Tóth, Ottó Benczenleitner, László Tóth
Frontiers in Sports and Active Living 2025 DOI: 10.3389/fspor.2025.1556404 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quasi-experimental design Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 20 |
| Population | Hungarian national and international-level elite distance runners |
| Intervention | Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement (MSPE) |
| Duration | Six-week intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Competitive anxiety Distance running Emotion regulation Flow Performance Sport psychology |
| Citations | 5 |
| Key findings | The adapted MSPE program significantly improved flow and cognitive anxiety in elite distance runners compared to a control group. |
Abstract
This study explored the impact of the Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement (MSPE) program, adapted for elite distance runners. Twenty Hungarian national and international-level athletes participated in a quasi-experimental design. The experimental group (n = 10) completed a six-week MSPE intervention, while the control group (n = 10) received no mental training. Psychological constructs, including flow, competitive anxiety, mindfulness, and emotion regulation, were assessed pre- and post-intervention. Results showed significant improvements in the experimental group across most variables, particularly flow and cognitive anxiety, with no changes in the control group. These findings highlight the effectiveness of a group-based mindfulness program in enhancing mental well-being and performance in elite runners. The scalable, structured format offers a practical alternative to traditional sports psychology approaches for high-performance athletes.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Cancer patients (clinical intervention study) | 2003 | Mixed methods: scale development, correlational, quasi-experimental, laboratory, experience-sampling, and clinical intervention study | |
| Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. | 2008 | Controlled laboratory experiment | |
| Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. | 2012 | Two studies: correlational study and experimental study | |
| Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population | 2006 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Mindfulness-based interventions for competitive anxiety in athletes: the moderating role of control type-Preliminary evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology May 28, 2026
- Mindfulness and athlete burnout among olympic combat sport athletes: the mediating role of athlete self-compassion and the moderating role of emotion regulation. Frontiers in Psychology September 3, 2026
- The impact of mindfulness intervention on emotion regulation in athletes: a meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology July 23, 2026
Cites 17
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- A randomized controlled trial of mindfulness meditation versus relaxation training: Effects on distress, positive states of mind, rumination, and distraction Annals of Behavioral Medicine February 1, 2007
- Effects of Brief and Sham Mindfulness Meditation on Mood and Cardiovascular Variables The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine July 28, 2010
- The Effect of Mindfulness Training on Athletes’ Flow: An Initial Investigation The Sport Psychologist June 1, 2011
- Examining the Effects of Mindfulness–Acceptance–Commitment Training on Self-Compassion and Grit among Elite Female Athletes International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health December 23, 2021
and 12 more in the library