Project Abstract

Abstract

High school athletes face numerous stressors that can compromise their physical and psychological well-being, including intense training demands, performance pressures, academic responsibilities, and developmental challenges. While participation in sports offers many benefits, the stress experienced by student-athletes puts them at risk for issues like burnout, anxiety, depression, and suboptimal performance. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have shown promise for reducing stress and enhancing well-being across various populations. However, there is limited research evaluating the effectiveness of MBIs specifically for high school athletes. This study aims to address this gap through a randomized controlled trial examining the impacts of an 8-week mindfulness program on perceived stress, anxiety, depression, sleep quality, emotion regulation, self-compassion, and sport-specific outcomes like flow state and performance. High school athletes across multiple sports will be randomly assigned to a mindfulness intervention condition or waitlist control group. Validated self-report measures along with qualitative interviews will assess changes in psychological well-being from pre- to post-intervention and 3-month follow-up. Potential moderators like sport type, gender, and mindfulness experience will also be explored. By rigorously evaluating mindfulness as a preventive intervention tailored for student-athletes, this research can inform best practices for promoting mental health, emotional balance, and optimal performance in this population. Findings may support wider implementation of mindfulness programs to help high school athletes navigate stressors and thrive both in sports and other areas of their lives.

Project Overview

Chapter 1: Introduction

1.1 Background and Significance Participation in high school athletics offers students a multitude of physical, psychological, and developmental benefits tied to enhanced fitness, goal-setting, leadership, discipline, and life skills. However, the demanding nature of competitive youth sports also presents a myriad of potential stressors that can adversely impact athletic performance and overall well-being (Peluso et al., 2022). High training volumes, pressure to succeed, sport-related injuries, academic responsibilities, identity challenges, and other transitional issues create vulnerabilities for mental health concerns like burnout, anxiety, depression, disordered eating, and sleep disturbances among high school athletes (Becker et al., 2022; Moesch et al., 2022). These psychological stressors can impair performance and threaten long-term participation in sports and related positive outcomes.

Given the prevalence of these issues, there is a need for preventive interventions tailored specifically for high school athletes that cultivate stress resilience, emotional regulation, self-compassion, and psychological flexibility. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs), founded on present-focused, non-judgmental awareness and derived from ancient contemplative practices, have shown promise for improving stress management, emotion regulation, attention, and overall well-being across a variety of contexts (García-Rubio et al., 2019). Mindfulness skills like conscious attention, acceptance, and decentering may be particularly beneficial for student-athletes navigating demanding dual roles, high expectations, and performance pressures (Scott-Hamilton et al., 2021). However, while mindfulness programs have been adapted for collegiate, Olympic, and professional sports settings, relatively few controlled studies have specifically evaluated their effectiveness for supporting the psychological well-being and needs of high school athletes.

1.2 Problem Statement Although mindfulness has received attention in collegiate and professional sports contexts, there is a paucity of robust empirical research examining mindfulness-based intervention outcomes for the unique needs of high school student-athletes. The high school athletics experience presents distinct stressors related to adolescent development, balancing academics and athletic performance expectations, identity challenges, and self-regulation needs. While promising pilot studies suggest mindfulness shows benefits for coping with student athlete stressors (Baltzell et al., 2021; Thienot et al., 2022), most research has utilized small samples, lacked active control groups, focused narrowly on single sports, and provided insufficient follow-up data on durability of effects. Without larger-scale, methodologically rigorous controlled trials evaluating multi-dimensional outcomes, the overall effectiveness and generalizability of mindfulness programming for high school athletes remains unclear.

1.3 Purpose of the Study The primary aim of this study is to conduct a randomized controlled trial to examine the effects of an 8-week mindfulness-based intervention on psychological well-being, stress, emotion regulation, and sport-specific factors among high school athletes compared to a waitlist control group. Specific objectives include:

1. Assess changes in self-reported perceived stress, anxiety, depression, sleep quality, and emotion regulation difficulties from pre- to post-intervention and 3-month follow-up.
2. Evaluate intervention impacts on positive psychological factors like self-compassion, mindfulness, and flow state experiences during sport performance.
3. Explore potential moderating effects of individual factors like sport type (e.g. individual vs team), level of competition, gender, mindfulness experience, etc.
4. Investigate student-athlete experiences and perceived benefits/challenges of mindfulness training through qualitative interviews.
5. Identify key intervention components, facilitation strategies, and programmatic considerations for delivering mindfulness effectively to high school athletes.

1.4 Research Questions and Hypotheses The following research questions and hypotheses will guide the study:

1. Does an 8-week mindfulness intervention produce improvements in perceived stress, anxiety, depression, sleep quality, and emotion regulation among high school athletes compared to a waitlist control group? H1: Athletes receiving mindfulness training will show greater reductions in perceived stress, anxiety, depression, sleep issues, and emotion regulation difficulties.
2. Does mindfulness training lead to increases in self-compassion, mindful awareness, flow experiences, and other positive psychological factors among high school athletes? H2: The mindfulness group will demonstrate greater increases in self-compassion, dispositional mindfulness, and flow state compared to controls.
3. Are intervention effects moderated by individual characteristics like sport type, competition level, gender, grade level, or prior mindfulness experience? H3: Stronger effects may emerge for individual sport athletes and those with no prior mindfulness exposure.
4. How do high school athletes perceive and experience mindfulness training? What specific benefits, challenges, or recommendations emerge?

1.5 Significance of the Study This study stands to make important contributions to research on mindfulness interventions for athletes and psychological well-being promotion among high school students:

For high school athletes, findings can guide implementation of evidence-based mindfulness programming to help navigate stressors, enhance emotional balance, prevent burnout, and optimize performance. As a preventive approach, mindfulness may allow more student-athletes to fully thrive across athletic and personal development domains.

For coaches, athletic departments, and school counselors, the research can inform best practices for ethically and effectively integrating mindfulness to support the holistic needs of high school athletes. Recommendations may shape education/training paths to build buy-in and programmatic sustainability.

For sport psychology professionals and mental health providers, evidence can clarify mindfulness's role within a broader repertoire of psychological skills and counseling approaches benefiting student-athlete populations.

From a scholarly perspective, this study can add to the theoretical understanding of how mindfulness impacts specific psychological processes underpinning well-being, stress resilience, attention, and optimal performance states.

Ultimately, rigorous evidence that mindfulness effectively enhances coping and psychological well-being can guide broader advocacy and implementation efforts to bring these prevention-oriented practices into high school sports contexts.

1.6 Definition of Key Terms Mindfulness: A present-focused state of non-judgmental attention and awareness cultivated through meditation and related practices. Key components include conscious attention, awareness, non-reactivity and acceptance.

Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs): Therapeutic programs incorporating training in mindfulness meditation and application of mindfulness principles to everyday life stressors. Common examples include Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT).

Perceived Stress: The subjective experience of life demands exceeding one's perceived ability to cope, typically measured via self-report instruments.

Emotion Regulation: The conscious and non-conscious strategies used to modulate the experience and expression of emotions. Effective regulation allows flexible responding to environmental demands.

Self-Compassion: Extending compassion towards oneself through mindful self-awareness, recognition of common humanity in struggle, and meeting difficulties with kindness versus harsh judgment.

Flow: An optimally focused motivational state characterized by complete absorption in an intrinsically rewarding activity. Flow experiences are marked by clarity, concentration, distorted sense of time, and perceived alignment between high challenges and capabilities.

1.7 Theoretical Foundations Several theoretical frameworks inform and contextualize this study, including:

• The Mindfulness-to-Meaning Theory
• Self-Determination Theory
• Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Models
• Cognitively-Based Compassion Training (CBCT)
• Theories of Optimal Sport Performance
• Models of Athlete Burnout and Well-Being