A Moderated Mediation Model Examining the Influence of Mindfulness on Self-Confidence and Mental Toughness of Thai National Athletes
Chatkamon Singnoy, Tanida Julvanichpong
International Sports Studies August 31, 2026 DOI: 10.69665/iss.v48i1.78 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 408 |
| Population | Thai national athletes (individual and team sports) |
| Measures | Mindfulness in Sport Questionnaire (Thai version), Revised Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2R), Thai Mental Toughness Questionnaire |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Mindfulness significantly predicted self-confidence and mental toughness, with self-confidence partially mediating the mindfulness–mental toughness relationship. The mediation was moderated by sport type: the mindfulness–confidence link was stronger in team sports, while the confidence–mental toughness link was stronger in individual sports. |
Abstract
Numerous studies have shown that athletes’ dispositional mindfulness is positively associated with sports performance, psychological skills, and mental toughness. Purpose: This study tested whether self-confidence mediates the association between mindfulness and mental toughness among Thai national athletes and investigated whether sport type moderates this mediation model. Participants included 408 Thai national athletes (Mage = 22.52, SD = 5.92) representing individual (n = 219) and team sports (n = 189). Data were collected using the Mindfulness in Sport Questionnaire (Thai version), the Revised Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2R) for self-confidence, and the Thai Mental Toughness Questionnaire. Internal consistency for all scales ranged from 0.76 to 0.97. The results demonstrated that mindfulness significantly predicted both self-confidence and mental toughness, with self-confidence acting as a partial mediator. The moderated mediation analysis (Model 59) was significant (Index of Moderated Mediation = 0.105, 95% CI [0.021, 0.208]). Specifically, the mindfulness-confidence linkage (Path a) was stronger in team sports, whereas the confidence-mental toughness relationship (Path b) was more pronounced in individual sports. This study contributes to the literature by clarifying the mindfulness–self-confidence–mental toughness pathway. Within the Thai context, mindfulness is positioned as a 'naturalised grounding' derived from Buddhist heritage, offering a unique baseline for elite athletes. Finally, the findings suggest that coaches should implement sport-specific mental training—focusing on filtering social noise for team sports and bolstering internal belief for individual sports
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |