QUALITATIVE ARTICLE REVIEW ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS OVERVIEW

The purpose of this randomized controlled trial is to assess if Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement (MSPE) is beneficial to collegiate athletes. Participants were 52 NCAA Division III student athletes who underwent six MSPE sessions incorporating mindfulness and non-judgmental acceptance. In addition, improvement in flow, trait mindfulness, life satisfaction, and self-rated sport performance was significantly higher in the treatment group compared to the control group. Therefore, the findings suggest that MSPE may potentially be used as a way to enhance psychological wellbeing and athletic performance. Therefore, the results of this study offer support to the application of MBIs in sports in supporting the psychological health and performance of athletes.

• Wilson, D., Bennett, E. V., Mosewich, A. D., Faulkner, G. E., & Crocker, P. R. (2019). “The zipper effect”: Exploring the interrelationship of mental toughness and self-compassion among Canadian elite women athletes. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 40, 61-70.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between the level of mental toughness and self-compassion in elite Canadian female athletes. Using thematic analysis of the interviews, this study found that mental toughness and self-compassion are the two crucial variables for managing adversity in sport. Mental toughness was seen as an element in the realms of endurance and competition preparation, whereas self-compassion provided maintenance for a well-balanced and mindful attitude. It is suggested by the study that a combination of self-compassion with mental toughness may result in developing a healthy mindset, very crucial in sports. As a contribution to sports psychology, this paper goes a step further to identify the importance of self-compassion and mental toughness.

• Glass, C. R., Spears, C. A., Perskaudas, R., & Kaufman, K. A. (2019). Mindful sport performance enhancement: Randomized controlled trial of a mental training program with collegiate athletes. Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, 13(4), 609-628.

The purpose of the randomized controlled trial is to determine whether Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement (MSPE) works for college athletes. Fifty-two NCAA Division III student-athletes received six sessions of MSPE grounded in mindfulness and nonjudging acceptance. At the same time, the treatment group showed a significantly greater improvement in flow, trait mindfulness, life satisfaction, and self-rated sport performance than the control group. Thus, the findings are stacked toward the plausibility of MSPE in psychological health improvement and sporting achievement. On these grounds, the study presents evidence of the application of MBIs in sports to help athletes achieve both psychological well-being and optimum performance.

• Walter, N., Nikoleizig, L., & Alfermann, D. (2019). Effects of self-talk training on competitive anxiety, self-efficacy, volitional skills, and performance: An intervention study with junior sub-elite athletes. Sports, 7(6), 148.

This intervention study focuses on the effects of self-talk (ST) training on competitive anxiety, self-efficacy, volitional skills, and performance in junior sub-elite athletes. This study recruited 117 athletes and divided them into the short-term ST group, the long-term ST group, and the control group. The findings showed that ST training was useful for decreasing somatic anxiety and for increasing self-confidence, self-efficacy, and performance, particularly when participants underwent long-term training. In doing so, this research demonstrates the effectiveness of ST interventions in enhancing young athletes’ psychological conditions and performance and gives concrete suggestions for coaches and sport psychologists.

• Pang, H., Li, W., Pu, K., & Huang, Z. (2020). Research on the Main Psychological Factors influencing basketball players' Athletic performance: the importance of psychological Quality. Revista Argentina de Clínica Psicológica, 29(5), 491.

The study in question examines psychological characteristics affecting basketball players especially focusing on psychological quality. The research establishes personality, stress, and psychological capital (PsyCap) as factors that define success in sport. In the quantitative research method, questionnaires were administered to 100 basketball players to determine the relationship between the components of PsyCap and performance including self-efficacy, hope, optimism and resilience. It was established that PsyCap enhances performance and it is recommended that psychological training should be offered to athletes. In conclusion, this paper offers a better understanding of psychological aspects of sports and the need to nurture athletes’ mental abilities.

• Lochbaum, M., Stoner, E., Hefner, T., Cooper, S., Lane, A. M., & Terry, P. C. (2022). Sport psychology and performance meta-analyses: A systematic review of the literature. PloS One, 17(2), e0263408.

This systematic review integrates 30 meta analyses on the effect of sport psychology intervention on sporting performance. It touches on different psychological aspects including cohesiveness, self-confidence, and attentiveness suggesting moderate positive impact on performance (Hedge’s d = 0. 51). Maladaptive constructs such as cognitive anxiety and depression had a modest negative impact (d = -. 21). Furthermore, the review focuses on the efficiency of sport psychology interventions in the context of performance improvement and offers a practical reference for exercise professionals. This study is important for comprehending the effects of psychological treatments on sports performance in general.

• Lochbaum, M., Zanatta, T., Kirschling, D., & May, E. (2021). The Profile of Moods States and athletic performance: A meta-analysis of published studies. European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education, 11(1).

The following meta-analysis focuses on the connection between the Profile of Mood States (POMS) and athletic performance in 25 studies. The study emphasizes on the impact of mood states such as tension, depression, anger, vigor, fatigue and confusion on the outcome of performance. These findings suggest that TMD is valid for predicting performance, especially in different mood conditions. The results presented in the paper prove that the reader can use the mental health model or the iceberg profile to enhance the performance of the athletes.

• Bulğay, C., Tingaz, E. O., Bayraktar, I., & Çetin, E. (2022). Athletic performance and mindfulness in track and field athletes. Current Psychology, 41(7), 4482-4489.

The purpose of this research is to establish the degree of mindfulness of track and field athletes and how it affects performance. The participants included 213 national and international athletes who completed the Mindfulness Inventory for Sport (MIS). The results reveal that there is a positive relationship between mindfulness and performance, especially for national athletes and those with higher training experience. The study also shows that mindfulness interventions can enhance performance and call for its integration into performance training. In line with these findings, mindfulness enhances the quality of life and performance of the athletes.

• Lai, C. P., Hsieh, H. H., Chang, C. M., & Ni, F. T. (2020). The role of psychological capital in athletic performance and career development of adolescent baseball players in Taiwan. Sustainability, 12(18), 7652.

The aim of this study is to explore PsyCap in relation to athletic performance and career progression of adolescent baseball players in Taiwan. Self-efficacy, hope, optimism and resilience were assessed through a questionnaire on PsyCap. The above suggestions therefore imply that higher levels of PsyCap have a positive relationship with performance and career progression. The research therefore seeks to improve the Psychological Capital of athletes as a way of improving the performance and the future of the athletes. Thus, this research significantly contributes to the body of knowledge in the field of sports psychology to determine how PsyCap influences success and career growth in sports.

• Cook, G. M., Fletcher, D., & Carroll, C. (2021). Psychosocial functioning of Olympic coaches and its perceived effect on athlete performance: A systematic review. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 14(1), 278-311.

This systematic review analyses the psychosocial functioning of Olympic coaches and the perceived impact on athletes’ performance. This review describes the moderating role of the coaches and their attributes, context, and processes that facilitate or hinder athletes’ performance. Coaching therefore has character elements like empathy endurance among other emotional qualities that improve the performance of athletes. Such findings imply that there is a need for enhancement of education and training of the coaches so as to enhance quality in coaching. This research is of significance to the study of the correlation between the work related psychological health of coaches and the ability to foster athlete’s performance and quality of life.

• Wang, Y., Lei, S. M., & Fan, J. (2023). Effects of mindfulness-based interventions on promoting athletic performance and related factors among athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trial. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(3), 2038.

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the effects of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) on performance and psychological responses in athletes. The review involved 32 RCTs, and meta-analysis results indicated increased mindfulness and mindfulness-related psychological processes of athletes. However, none concerning the mental health outcomes were identified in the study. This work offers empirical support for applying MBIs in enhancing performance and well-being, which suggests that mindfulness approaches may be useful for athletes. Yet, this study calls for the need to perform more well-done RCTs to determine the efficacy of MBIs in sports.

• Hut, M., Minkler, T. O., Glass, C. R., Weppner, C. H., Thomas, H. M., & Flannery, C. B. (2023). A randomized controlled study of mindful sport performance enhancement and psychological skills training with collegiate track and field athletes. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 35(2), 284-306.

This study is a randomized controlled design that investigates the effectiveness of Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement (MSPE) and Psychological Skills Training (PST) in collegiate track and field athletes. The subjects of the study were 24 athletes, both groups showed a positive change in sport anxiety, enjoyment, and performance satisfaction. MSPE group indicated greater changes in satisfaction with sport performance compared to PST. Further analysis of the qualitative responses showed that both interventions were perceived to be positive for sport and for everyday life, but differences between the two programs were observed. The findings of this research demonstrate that mindfulness-based treatments and psychological skills training can increase performance and well-being in sports.

• Vveinhardt, J., & Kaspare, M. (2022). The relationship between mindfulness practices and the psychological state and performance of Kyokushin karate athletes. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(7), 4001.

This research focuses on the effects that mindfulness exercises have on the psychological well-being and productivity of the Kyokushin karate players. The study targeted 371 athletes and employed the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS-15) and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21). It was established that mindfulness practices led to reduction in stress and enhancement of psychological well-being and sporting performance among athletes. The study shows the effectiveness of mindfulness training for athletes and offers ideas on how to implement it in training. This paper reviews the literature on the benefits of mindfulness practice towards the psychological wellbeing and performance of athletes.

• Jones, B. J., Kaur, S., Miller, M., & Spencer, R. M. (2020). Mindfulness-based stress reduction benefits psychological well-being, sleep quality, and athletic performance in female collegiate rowers. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 572980.

The aim of this study is to investigate effects of MBSR on psychological well-being, sleep, and performance of female college rowers. The findings indicated that the intervention group showed improvement in self-esteem, sleep quality, and rowing performance as compared to the control group. The study indicates that MBSR results in the positive changes in the non-quantifiable aspects of sport performance since it helps athletes’ psychological health and their ability to cope with stress. The present results of the study corroborate the suggestion to include mindfulness training as part of the athletic experience. The emphasis of this research will be on the necessity to incorporate mindfulness-based interventions in the student athletes.

• Liang, D., Chen, S., Zhang, W., Xu, K., Li, Y., Li, D., … & Liu, C. (2021). Investigation of a progressive relaxation training intervention on precompetition anxiety and sports performance among collegiate student athletes. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 617541.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of progressive relaxation training (PRT) on pre competition stress and athletic performance among college student athletes. The experimental group was administered PRT with an observed reduction of precompetition anxiety and enhanced sports performance. By the use of PRT, the study demonstrates how the mental state of athletes and their performance are enhanced under competition pressure. The study offers practical implications for conducting relaxation training for athletes to become psychologically ready and prepared for competitions. This study contributes to the growing literature on the use of psychological interventions in sports for the purpose of improving performance.