The relationship between mindfulness and athletes' mental skills may be explained by emotion regulation and self-regulation.
Aleksandra M Rogowska, Rafał Tataruch
BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation March 19, 2024 DOI: 10.1186/s13102-024-00863-z (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 156 |
| Population | Elite speed skaters (n=54) and university physical education students (n=102) from various sports disciplines and competitive levels |
| Measures | Sports Success Scale (SSS), State Mindfulness Scale for Physical Activity (SMS-PA), Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA-2) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Elite athletes Interoceptive awareness Speed skating Sports success |
| Key findings | The authors report that the relationship between body mindfulness and psychological determinants of sports success was fully mediated by two interoceptive dimensions, self-regulation and attention regulation. They argue that cultivating body mindfulness may improve these capacities and thereby enhance the mental skills required for successful sports participation. |
Abstract
Although numerous psychological determinants of sports success have been identified in the scientific literature, research on the contribution of mindfulness and interoceptive awareness to sports achievements remains limited. This study investigates the relationship between self-reported mental skills determining sports success (i.e., flow state, attention, technique, sensitivity to error, commitment, and achievement), state mindfulness for physical activity (of the mind and the body), and interoceptive awareness (including scales of noticing, not distracting, not worrying, attention regulation, emotional awareness, self-regulation, body listening, and trusting). A cross-sectional online survey was conducted on a sample of elite athletes in speed skating (n = 54) and university students of physical education (n = 102) representing various sports disciplines and competitive levels. The Sports Success Scale (SSS), the State Mindfulness Scale for Physical Activity (SMS-PA), and the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA-2) were used to assess psychological determinants of athletic achievements, state mindfulness, and interoceptive sensitivity, respectively. Our findings indicate some small-to-moderate differences in particular dimensions of psychological traits related to sports success, mindfulness, and interoceptive awareness between athletes of different genders, groups, and competitive levels. A chain mediation model showed that the relationship between body mindfulness and psychological variables determining sports success is fully explained by two dimensions of interoception: self-regulation and attention regulation. Cultivating the mindfulness state of the body can improve self-regulation and attention regulation, which in turn may increase the mental skills required for successful sports participation. Therefore, mental training should focus primarily on body mindfulness, attention regulation, and self-regulation to improve the mental skills responsible for athletes' sports achievements. In addition, individual differences in athletes' gender, sports discipline, and level of sports competition should be considered during mental training.
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 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 12
- Mindfulness techniques for athletic excellence: the mediating role of mental resilience and moderating effect of emotional intelligence. Frontiers in Psychology 2025
- Effects of group mindfulness intervention on high-level distance runners: a quasi-experimental study. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living 2025
- A three-week mindfulness intervention on mental skills, internal-load regulation, and performance in youth swimmers: a randomized controlled trial Scientific Reports April 14, 2026
- The effect of sport-specific mindfulness on dispositional flow in collegiate athletes: the sequential mediating roles of cognitive reappraisal and sport confidence Frontiers in Psychology September 24, 2026
- Interoception, alexithymia, and motor congruency: Psychological drivers of body ownership in virtual reality. Perception May 13, 2026
and 7 more in the library
Cites 22
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- Body Awareness: a phenomenological inquiry into the common ground of mind-body therapies Philosophy, Ethics, and Humanities in Medicine 2011
- A 12‐week integrative exercise program improves self‐reported mindfulness and interoceptive awareness in war veterans with posttraumatic stress symptoms Journal of Clinical Psychology October 27, 2017
- The relationship between mindfulness and objective measures of body awareness: A meta-analysis Scientific Reports November 22, 2019
- The impact of a brief mindfulness training on interoception: A randomized controlled trial PLoS One September 7, 2022
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