Impact of mindfulness acceptance commitment therapy on psychological flexibility: Randomized control trail with one month follow up
AT Adnan, Arun SS Kumar
International Journal of Sports Health and Physical Education May 1, 2026 DOI: 10.33545/26647559.2026.v8.i5b.402 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Repeated-measures study Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Cricket players |
| Interventions | Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment (MAC) training Psychological Skills Training (PST) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment training produced significantly better psychological flexibility scores than both Psychological Skills Training and a control condition, and Psychological Skills Training also outperformed the control group. A significant Time × Group interaction indicated that changes in psychological flexibility differed across interventions over time. |
Abstract
The present study examined the comparative effectiveness of Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment (MAC) training and Psychological Skills Training (PST) on psychological flexibility among cricket players. A repeated-measures plot was used, with subjects assigned to MAC, PST, and control groups and assessed at pre-test, post-test, and follow-up. Data were analysed using a Linear Mixed Model (LMM) within a Mixed Model for Repeated Measures (MMRM) framework. The outcomes disclose substantial main effects of time and group, in addition to a significant Time × Group interaction, indicating that changes in psychological flexibility differed across interventions over time. Bonferroni-adjusted pairwise comparisons showed that the MAC group demonstrated significantly better psychological flexibility scores compared to both PST and control groups, while PST also outperformed the control group. These results tells that MAC is more effective than PST in enhancing psychological flexibility, likely because of its focus on acceptance, mindfulness, and value-based processes. The study highlights the value of theoretically grounded interventions in sport psychology and offers actionable insights for enhancing athletes’ mental adaptability and performance.