Mindfulness Training for Athletes: A Systematic Review of Psychological and Performance Effects
A. Rathnayaka
Sri Lankan Journal of Sports and Exercise Medicine April 27, 2026 DOI: 10.4038/sljsem.v3i2.44 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Randomized Longitudinal Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Athletes, as represented in 22 empirical journal articles |
| Duration | Literature search covered January 2015 to July 30, 2025 |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | The review identifies three themes: diverse, context-specific mindfulness-based interventions in sport; suggested positive effects on psychological outcomes and performance-related processes; and methodological inconsistencies that limit generalizability. The authors argue future work should prioritize randomized controlled trials, better reporting of intervention fidelity and practice adherence, and longitudinal designs. |
Abstract
Mindfulness, defined as nonjudgmental awareness of present-moment experiences, has gained increasing attention within sport psychology due to its potential benefits for athletes’ psychological functioning and performance. The purpose of this study was to systematically review empirical literature examining mindfulness training from athletes’ perspectives. A systematic review design was employed to synthesize existing evidence, using secondary data collected from multiple academic databases to ensure comprehensive coverage and reduce publication bias. The literature search covered a ten-year period from January 2015 to July 30, 2025. Following the PRISMA 2020 (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines, 22 empirical journal articles met the inclusion criteria and were selected for analysis. Data was analyzed using a seven-step thematic analysis approach. Three key themes emerged: (1) mindfulness-based interventions used in sport contexts, (2) psychological and performance-related effects of mindfulness training and (3) methodological attributes, contextual influences, and research gaps. The findings indicate that mindfulness-based interventions in sport are diverse and context-specific rather than uniform in design. While evidence suggests positive effects on psychological outcomes and performance-related processes, methodological inconsistencies limit the generalizability of findings. Future research should prioritize high-quality randomized controlled trials, clearer reporting of intervention fidelity and practice adherence, and longitudinal designs to better understand the mechanisms through which mindfulness training influences athletic performance. Despite these limitations, this review contributes to the literature by synthesizing current evidence and identifying key directions for future research.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being Diverse adult clinical populations | 2014 | Meta-analysis | n = 3,515 |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis Healthy subjects | 2009 | Systematic review and meta-analysis | |
| The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Nonclinical groups of adult meditators | 2012 | Meta-analysis | n = 163 |
| Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse Adults with recurrent depression in full or partial remission | 2016 | Meta-analysis of individual patient data from randomized controlled trials | n = 1,258 |
| Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials | 2011 | Systematic review |