Hannah M. Thomas’s research while affiliated with Montclair State University and other places

Mindfulness-based interventions are a popular form of mental training for athletes. Because most existing research relies on quantitative methods, the present study explored student-athletes’ experiences with mindfulness training, specifically mindful sport performance enhancement, using postintervention interviews and the consensual qualitative research protocol. A secondary focus examined potential differences based on intervention session scheduling. Ten male college rugby players were interviewed after participating in mindful sport performance enhancement either before or after rugby practice. Results indicated that athletes enjoyed exercises involving movement and informal mindfulness and reported sport-related benefits for self-regulation, awareness, and acceptance following mistakes. They also described increased present-moment attention and awareness in their daily lives, nonjudgmental reactions, and better stress coping. Additionally, athletes shared challenges related to session length, staying focused, establishing a practice routine, and managing distractions at home. Integrating mindful sport performance enhancement before sport practice reportedly helped with mental/physical readiness, whereas postpractice integration helped more with physical recovery and relaxation.

A child’s social skills development is crucial, but social functioning deficits are common. Social impairment has been associated with various risk factors, including child anxiety symptoms and parenting practices, specifically among parents who experience distress. Given the impact that anxiety and parental distress have on social functioning, it is important to examine child characteristics that could mitigate the impact. Research has identified child characteristics (i.e., leadership, functional communication, adaptive skills, executive functioning, and emotional self-control) that promote social functioning and could serve as protective factors. The present study examined the protective effects of these child characteristics on the relation between parental distress and post-treatment anxiety of children who participated in the Resilience Builder Program® (RBP; Alvord et al., 2011). The RBP is a resilience-based cognitive-behavioral group treatment for children with social impairments. A total of 76 parents completed measures before and after the RBP, providing information on parent’s self-report of psychological distress, child anxiety, and the identified child characteristics (Mage = 10.01, SD = 1.44; 77.6% White; 81.6% male). Moderation analyses indicated that for children with poor pre-treatment functioning in adaptive skills, functional communication, and leadership, parent psychological distress was related to increased post-treatment anxiety, whereas, for strong pre-treatment skills, a negative relation was detected. Results suggest that proficiency in adaptability, functional communication, and leadership may act as a protective factor from parental distress by promoting positive treatment outcomes. Such findings could inform future interventions where these skills are emphasized during a child’s treatment if the parent indicates high distress.

Although both traditional cognitive behavioral psychological skills training (PST) interventions and mindfulness-based alternatives can lead to improvements in sport performance and athlete well-being, recent reviews and meta-analyses support the need for more outcome research with randomized designs. The present randomized controlled trial with members of an NCAA Division III Track and Field team was the first to compare a 6-week Mindful Sport Performance Enhancement (MSPE; K. A. Kaufman et al., 2018) training to a PST active control group, using a mixed-method approach with both quantitative and qualitative assessment and a train-the-trainer model of intervention delivery. The 24 student-athletes who completed post-test measures showed significant improvements in sport anxiety, and reported greater sport enjoyment and less influence of negative internal states on current sport performance; the MSPE group reported greater improvements in satisfaction with sport performance compared to PST. Qualitative responses suggested that both programs were helpful both for sport and everyday life, while some differential effects for interventions were also noted. The program evaluation measure additionally revealed a moderate degree of program acceptability in both groups, and the trainings were seen as moderately to very helpful for sport (e.g., being “in the zone,” less anxious, more focused). Although future research is needed with larger sample sizes and interview methods, results suggest that both interventions may be appropriate for sport psychology consultants to utilize and provide further evidence for a train-the-trainer approach for intervention delivery. • IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE • Based on both quantitative and qualitative data analysis, results suggest that both psychological skills training (PST) and mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) may positively influence factors related to sport experience and contribute to enhanced well-being, including anxiety reduction, attention, and emotion regulation. Moreover, both interventions included exercises that participants enjoyed, providing support for the acceptability of both programs. • Short-term MBIs may contribute to greater satisfaction with sport performance and improve attention (present-moment focus and awareness) in both sport and everyday life, while PST may lead to more improvements in mindset during sport. Those who wish to see changes in these specific areas might want to consider these interventions. • Coaches may be able to provide sport psychology services feasibly and effectively for teams within their athletic department or organization, when trained and supervised by an expert professional. Lay Summary: College student-athletes’ sport anxiety and sport enjoyment improved following psychological skills training (PST) and a mindfulness-based intervention (MSPE), although participants in the mindfulness group also became more satisfied with their sport performance. Athletes in both interventions reported enhanced well-being in both athletics and everyday life, while those in MSPE more often mentioned improvements related to attention/awareness and PST participants more likely to discuss improvements in their mindset during sport.