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The impact of Mindfulness and Mental Skills Protocols on Athletes’ Competitive Anxiety

A. Dana, Vesal Alipour Shahir, S. Ghorbani

Biomedical Human Kinetics 2022 DOI: 10.2478/bhk-2022-0017 (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Quasi-experimental pretest-posttest study Peer reviewed
Sample size 45
Population Male shooters aged 19–30
Interventions Mindfulness training Mental skills training
Duration Six weeks; six 60-minute sessions
Measures Competitive State Anxiety Inventory
Topics Anxiety Meditation
Key findings Mindfulness and mental skills training each reduced competitive state anxiety in male shooters over six weeks compared with a control condition, but the two interventions did not differ from each other in effectiveness. The authors conclude that either training can help improve athletic performance by reducing anxiety.

Abstract

Abstract Study

Aim: This study aims at examining the impact of Mindfulness and mental skills on competitive anxiety in athletes. Material and

Methods: The present study is quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest design. Participants were 45 19–30 years old male shooters randomly assigned to three groups with 15 people. The test consisted of six 60-minute mindfulness training/Mental skills/control that lasted six weeks. Measurements included competitive state anxiety based on the competitive state anxiety inventory in two pretest and post-test stages. Data were analyzed using statistical software at a confidence level of 0.05 using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS).

Results: The results showed that cognitive interventions of Mindfulness and mental skills reduced competitive state anxiety (P < 0.05), but there was no difference between the effectiveness of these methods. (P < 0.05).

Conclusions: Six weeks of mindfulness and mental skills training can help improve athletic performance by reducing anxiety levels.

Comparable studies

Other experimental studies on anxiety, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
A PILOT STUDY OF GROUP MINDFULNESS-BASED COGNITIVE THERAPY (MBCT) FOR COMBAT VETERANS WITH POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) Veterans with chronic combat posttraumatic stress disorder seeking treatment at a VA... 2013 Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual comparison group n = 37
Being present in the face of existential threat: The role of trait mindfulness in reducing defensive responses to mortality salience. 2010 Experimental study
Neural correlates of mindfulness meditation-related anxiety relief Healthy adults with no prior meditation experience 2013 Within-subjects experimental study n = 15
Intensive mindfulness training-related changes in cognitive and emotional experience Community adults 2009 Quasi-experimental and longitudinal n = 69
Prospective examination of synthetic 5-methoxy-N,N-dimethyltryptamine inhalation: effects on salivary IL-6, cortisol levels, affect, and non-judgment Volunteers 2019 Within-subjects experimental study n = 11

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