How do college student-athletes’ understanding and expectations of mindfulness and self-compassion change through an intervention?
Blake Costalupes
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 42 |
| Population | NCAA Division II college student-athletes on a swim team |
| Duration | 7-week intervention with interviews at beginning and end |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Expectations and understanding of mindfulness and self-compassion shifted across a 7-week mindfulness-based intervention and appeared tied to perceived outcomes, with understanding potentially limiting benefits. The authors argue this ambiguity may stem from blending traditional Eastern mindfulness with Western psychological interventions. |
Abstract
In the last two decades, mindfulness has permeated sport, exercise, and performance psychology (SEPP). Mindfulness research in SEPP primarily focuses on the efficacy of manualized protocols on various outcomes related to performance and wellbeing; how athletes understand this complex construct, though, is largely unexplored in the literature. Additionally, some researchers suggest that the potentially paradoxical adoption of mindfulness in Western psychology may be contributing to limited outcomes, low engagement in, and poor adherence to mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs). In addition, the exploration of self-compassion as a mechanism for change through mindfulness practice has increased in recent years, making it an important component to consider. The purpose of the present study was to investigate what college student-athletes (SAs) expect to gain from participating in a MBI, how they understand the concepts of mindfulness and self-compassion, and how these expectations and understandings change from beginning to end of an intervention. Intervention supported shifts in understanding were viewed through a constructivist-interpretivist lens. Individual interviews (n = 42) were conducted with all SAs on an NCAA DII swim team at the beginning and end of a 7-week MBI. Reflexive thematic analysis revealed multiple levels of change across members of the team, indicating that expectations may be tied to outcomes, and understanding may be a limiting factor for perceived outcomes. Results provide some evidence that SA expectations and understanding of mindfulness and self-compassion may be related to ambiguity caused by the blending of traditional Eastern mindfulness with Western psychological interventions.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on meditation, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cites 17
- Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation Perspectives on Psychological Science October 10, 2017
- Defining mindfulness by how poorly I think I pay attention during everyday awareness and other intractable problems for psychology's (re)invention of mindfulness: Comment on Brown et al. (2011). Psychological Assessment 2011
- Short-Form Mindfulness Training Protects Against Working Memory Degradation over High-Demand Intervals Journal of Cognitive Enhancement June 1, 2017
- Compassionate hearts protect against wandering minds: Self-compassion moderates the effect of mind-wandering on depression. Spirituality in Clinical Practice August 2, 2018
- Meditators' Non-academic Definition of Mindfulness. Mindfulness May 24, 2022
and 12 more in the library