Mindfulness-based interventions in sports psychology

Abstract

The aim of this article is to identify work on the mindfulness concept in sports psychology research. Research into published works was undertaken using the Medline, Psychinfo, Web of Science, Cochrane, Ebscohost and Isi Web of Knowledge databases and references to articles retrieved from 1985 to December 2014, using inclusion and exclusion criteria. The main search terms were sports psychology, mindfulness, sport, stress and training. From the initial 22 articles we excluded 11 for various reasons (methodological problems, vague conclusions, theses or unpublished articles). The 11 final articles set out different mindfulness-based interventions in the field of sports psychology. Despite methodological limitations in the research design, the results show some improvements in sports performance and variables such as anxiety levels, burn out, flow and mindfulness levels. To confirm these preliminary results, and to continue to enhance knowledge about the effectiveness of mindfulness in sports psychology, further research, with improved methodology, is recommended.