Abstract
Mindfulness disposition reflects the capacity for self-regulation of attentional
and emotional processes to bring awareness to present-moment
experiences. Athletes face a range of unique stressors in training and
competition that may challenge these self-regulatory processes and thus
pre-dispose athletes to increased risk of psychological strain. As such,
mindfulness disposition may be a protective factor against psychological
strain arising from the training and competition demands that athletes
experience across preseason and in-season phases. To test this prediction,
27 male South Australian National Football League athletes (Mage = 22.3
± 3.2 years) completed the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS)
and the Athlete Psychological Strain Questionnaire (APSQ) prior to season
commencement. The APSQ was again completed towards the end of the 14-
week 2020 competitive season. None of the athletes reported formal
mindfulness training. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were calculated
between MAAS scores and APSQ total and self-regulation, performance,
and external coping subscale scores. There were significant negative
correlations between mindfulness and total strain at preseason, r(25) = -
.48, p < .05, and season end, r(25) = -.56, p < .01. More specifically, MAAS
scores demonstrated a significant negative correlation with the APSQ self regulation subscale at preseason, r(25) = -.71, p < .001, while during the
season a significant negative correlation was observed between mindfulness
disposition and APSQ performance subscale, r(25) = -.59, p < .01. These
findings support the notion that higher mindfulness disposition may serve as
a protective factor against psychological strain in athletes. In preseason,
mindfulness disposition may reduce psychological strain through greater
self-regulation. During the season, mindfulness disposition may moderate
psychological strain by reducing performance-related distress including
worry about form and selection pressures. Funding source: Australian
Government Research Training Program Scholarship; Norwood Football
Club Performance Sports Collaboration Scholarship.
and emotional processes to bring awareness to present-moment
experiences. Athletes face a range of unique stressors in training and
competition that may challenge these self-regulatory processes and thus
pre-dispose athletes to increased risk of psychological strain. As such,
mindfulness disposition may be a protective factor against psychological
strain arising from the training and competition demands that athletes
experience across preseason and in-season phases. To test this prediction,
27 male South Australian National Football League athletes (Mage = 22.3
± 3.2 years) completed the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS)
and the Athlete Psychological Strain Questionnaire (APSQ) prior to season
commencement. The APSQ was again completed towards the end of the 14-
week 2020 competitive season. None of the athletes reported formal
mindfulness training. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were calculated
between MAAS scores and APSQ total and self-regulation, performance,
and external coping subscale scores. There were significant negative
correlations between mindfulness and total strain at preseason, r(25) = -
.48, p < .05, and season end, r(25) = -.56, p < .01. More specifically, MAAS
scores demonstrated a significant negative correlation with the APSQ self regulation subscale at preseason, r(25) = -.71, p < .001, while during the
season a significant negative correlation was observed between mindfulness
disposition and APSQ performance subscale, r(25) = -.59, p < .01. These
findings support the notion that higher mindfulness disposition may serve as
a protective factor against psychological strain in athletes. In preseason,
mindfulness disposition may reduce psychological strain through greater
self-regulation. During the season, mindfulness disposition may moderate
psychological strain by reducing performance-related distress including
worry about form and selection pressures. Funding source: Australian
Government Research Training Program Scholarship; Norwood Football
Club Performance Sports Collaboration Scholarship.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | S81 |
| Number of pages | 1 |
| Journal | Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology |
| Volume | 43 |
| Issue number | Supplement |
| Publication status | Published - May 2021 |
| Event | 2021 North American Society for Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity Conference - Virtual Conference Duration: 9 Jun 2021 → 11 Jun 2021 |
Keywords
- Mindfulness
- Sport psychology
- Psychological stress