The Relationship Between Mindfulness, Anxiety, And Time Lost In Sport Due To Injury Among Collegiate Athletes

Abstract

As an athlete, acquiring an injury is one of the leading factors impeding performance, and studies show anxiety to be a predictor of sport injury occurrence. Mindfulness is becoming increasingly popular in Western psychology and has been linked, not only to decreased anxiety, but to increased overall health, as well as higher levels of performance among athletes. However, there has been very little examination of the relationship between mindfulness and sport injury occurrence among athletes. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between mindfulness, anxiety, and sports injury occurrence among collegiate athletes and to evaluate the following three hypotheses: (a) athletes reporting lower overall mindfulness would report more time lost playing because of injury; (b) athletes who reported higher levels of anxiety would experience more time lost playing because of injury; (c) athletes who reported higher levels of mindfulness would report lower levels of anxiety. The results of this study showed no evidence of a relationship between mindfulness and time loss due to injury among collegiate athletes. Total anxiety in all athletes did not show a significant relationship with sports absence because of injuries. However, somatic anxiety and worry alone were shown to have a very strong positive relationship with sport absence due to injury. This study showed no strong evidence of a relationship between total mindfulness and total anxiety among collegiate athletes. However, exploratory findings included the discovery that athletes who reported mindful nonreacting and observing also reported much less anxiety. Implications of these findings are discussed along with recommendations for sport performance stake holders and future researchers.