| The Effects Of Mindfulness–Acceptance–Commitment Training On Gratitude, Coach–Athlete Relationships And Burnout In Elite Female Athletes |
| Paper ID : 1840-SSRC-13TH |
| Authors |
|
Sahar Zarei1, Mahmoud Mohebi2, Hasan Gharayagh Zandi *3 1Department of Motor Behavior and Sports Psychology, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran 2Department of Motor Behavior and Sport Psychology, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. 3Department of Motor Behavior and Sports Psychology, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran |
| Abstract |
| Background: Mindfulness-based interventions are well-established in the field of psychotherapy, and such interventions have also gained increased attention in the field of sport psychology, either to cope with psychological pressure or to improve an athlete’s performance. The goal of the present study was to examine whether a Mindfulness–Acceptance–Commitment (MAC) program could increase gratitude, coach–athlete relationships, and decrees burnout among elite female athletes compared to an active control condition. To this end, we performed a randomized trial among female adult athletes. Methods: Forty female adult athletes (Mage = 22.22, SD = 2.40) were randomly assigned either to the Mindfulness–Acceptance–Commitment group (n = 20; 7 group sessions, 60 min each) or the active control group (n = 20; 7 group sessions, 60 min each). At baseline, seven weeks later at the end of the study and again four weeks later at follow-up, participants completed a series of self-rating questionnaires on mindfulness, gratitude, coach–athlete relationships and burnout. Results: Dimensions of mindfulness, gratitude and coach–athlete relationships increased, and burnout decreased over time, but more so in the Mindfulness–Acceptance–Commitment condition compared to the active control condition. Improvements remained stable from the study end to follow-up. Conclusions: While the active control condition increased dimensions of mindfulness, gratitude and coach–athlete relationships and decreased burnout among female adult athletes, improvements were much stronger in the Mindfulness–Acceptance–Commitment condition. Importantly, improvements in the Mindfulness–Acceptance–Commitment condition remained stable over a time lapse of four weeks at follow-up after study completion, suggesting that the Mindfulness–Acceptance–Commitment intervention appeared to improve cognitive–emotional learning processes, which are closely related to female athletes’ performance, relationships quality and mental health. |
| Keywords |
| Acceptance Commitment Therapy, Athletes Burnout, Coach–Athlete Relationships, Mental health Performance, Sport Gratitude. |
| Status: Abstract Accepted (Poster Presentation) |
