Mindfulness-Based Peak Performance, Endurance Performance Under Pressure, Performance-relevant Mental Attributes

NCT ID: NCT05612295

Last Updated: 2024-11-14

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 90 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2023-12-31
• Study Completion Date: 2024-12-31

Brief Summary

The primary aim of this study is to conduct a well-designed trial to investigate the effect of an MBI program entitled Mindfulness-based Peak Performance (MBPP) on endurance performance under pressure from an interdisciplinary approach of sport psychology, sports training, and cognitive neuroscience. The secondary aim is to examine the effect of MBPP program on performance-relevant mental attributes in behavioral and neurocognitive assessments.

The present study hypothesizes that the MBPP and self-talk groups will improve performance under pressure, but MBPP is expected to show greater improvement than ST. Additionally, we expect the MBPP will improve the relevant mental attributes.

Detailed Description

Considering that increased competition levels are typically accompanied by elevated stress and anxiety, athletes' ability to cope with stress has gained even more importance in recent years. Growing evidence has demonstrated the effectiveness of mindfulness in reducing stress and enhancing athletic performance; however, its effectiveness remains a matter of debate and limitations due to absence of more rigorous designs, ecological validity, and randomized controlled trials.

Accordingly, the current trial, entitled Mindfulness-based Peak Performance (MBPP), will take an interdisciplinary approach (e.g., sport psychology, sports training, and cognitive neuroscience), to more definitively examine whether a tailored mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) affects athletic performance under pressure and relevant mental attributes.

Specifically, this study is an 8-week, three-arm, randomized controlled trial (RCT), and eligible participants will be randomly assigned into (1) an MBPP group (MBPP), (2) a self-talk group (ST), and (3) a wait-list control group (WC). The primary outcomes (e.g., endurance performance under pressure, performance-relevant mental attributes) and secondary outcomes (e.g., dispositional mindfulness, sports psychological skills) will be assessed before and after intervention.

The MBPP and ST are expected that will improve performance under pressure, but MBPP might show greater improvement than ST. Additionally, MBPP is expected that will improve performance-relevant mental attributes. The results from this trial might provide rigorous evidence and insight into MBI application in the sports context.

Conditions

Mindfulness; Sport Performance; Neurocognitive Function; Stress

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

MBPP group

The Mindfulness-based Peak Performance (MBPP) program consists of eight 60-min training sessions, once weekly for 8 weeks, which aim to enhance human performance.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

MBPP

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

MBPP program consist of three fundamental principles (i.e., attention monitoring, acceptance, sport-specific rationale) and six performance-related core mental attributes including three behavioral and three neurocognitive components.

Each session will start with a brief homework discussion and recap of the preceding session, and instructors will deliver a topic-related brief story or group activity to participants, followed by a theoretical introduction and practice of mindfulness. Finally, at the end of each session, instructors will guide participant to discuss mindfulness applications related to specific sports performances. At the end of the session, participants will be assigned homework to increase the effectiveness of MBPP, and participants will be encouraged to practice daily for at least 10-15 min between the sessions.

Self-talk group

The self-talk intervention serving as the active control group will be included in the current trial. In line with the MBPP intervention, the self-talk intervention is also designed to enhance athletic performance, and will consist of eight 60-min meaningful sessions, once per week for eight weeks.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Self-talk

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

self-talk sessions include: Session 1 \& 2. The concepts, types, and the importance of self-talk will be introduced; Session 3. Researchers, coaches and the athletes will work together to design syntactically recognizable, concise, and clear sport-specific instructional scripts for specific sports performance (e.g., running); Session 4. practice of sport-specific instructional self-talk; Session 5. researchers, coaches and the athletes will work together to design syntactically recognizable, concise, and clear sport-specific motivational self-talk scripts for specific sports performances; Session 6. practice of sport-specific motivational self-talk; and Session 7 \& 8. general practice for learned self-talk techniques.

Waiting-list control

The participants in waiting-list control group are advised to maintain their everyday lifestyles and regular training. Once the participants in WC finish the experiment, they will be invited to participate in one of the 8-week interventions (i.e., MBPP or ST) based upon their preference.

Group Type: NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

MBPP

MBPP program consist of three fundamental principles (i.e., attention monitoring, acceptance, sport-specific rationale) and six performance-related core mental attributes including three behavioral and three neurocognitive components.

Each session will start with a brief homework discussion and recap of the preceding session, and instructors will deliver a topic-related brief story or group activity to participants, followed by a theoretical introduction and practice of mindfulness. Finally, at the end of each session, instructors will guide participant to discuss mindfulness applications related to specific sports performances. At the end of the session, participants will be assigned homework to increase the effectiveness of MBPP, and participants will be encouraged to practice daily for at least 10-15 min between the sessions.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Self-talk

self-talk sessions include: Session 1 \& 2. The concepts, types, and the importance of self-talk will be introduced; Session 3. Researchers, coaches and the athletes will work together to design syntactically recognizable, concise, and clear sport-specific instructional scripts for specific sports performance (e.g., running); Session 4. practice of sport-specific instructional self-talk; Session 5. researchers, coaches and the athletes will work together to design syntactically recognizable, concise, and clear sport-specific motivational self-talk scripts for specific sports performances; Session 6. practice of sport-specific motivational self-talk; and Session 7 \& 8. general practice for learned self-talk techniques.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Other Intervention Names

Mindfulness-based intervention

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Aged between 18 and 30 years
• Normal or corrected-to-normal 20/20 vision
• No red-green color blindness
• Able to speak and read Chinese
• Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q) score = 0
• With one of the designated sport proficiencies (i.e., middle-long running, marathon, triathlon)
• No previous major experience in mindfulness-related training (e.g., meditation or Tai Chi)
• Provide informed consent

Exclusion Criteria

• Diagnosed or self-reported cognitive problems
• The diagnosed or self-reported physical disease (e.g., untreated hypertension and chronic heart disease, stroke, brain tumor, musculoskeletal disorders, other exercise contradictions)
• Diagnosed or self-reported major psychiatric illness (e.g., major depression, schizophrenia)
• History of alcohol or drug abuse
• Unwillingness to be randomized to one of the three groups
• Currently participating in another study trial

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 30 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

National Taiwan Normal University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Yu-Kai Chang, Ph.D.

Role: STUDY_DIRECTOR

Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University

Locations

Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, National Taiwan Normal University

Taipei, , Taiwan

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

Taiwan

Central Contacts

Yu-Kai Chang, Ph.D.

Role: CONTACT

yukaichangnew@gmail.com

+8862-7749-3223

Facility Contacts

Yu-Kai Chang, Ph.D.

Role: primary

yukaichangnew@gmail.com

+8862-7749-3223

References

Chang YK, Gill DL, Creswell JD, Chen DT, Lin CY, Chu CH, Nien JT. Effect of mindfulness-based intervention on endurance performance under pressure and performance-relevant mental attributes, an interdisciplinary perspective: Protocol for a Mindfulness-Based Peak Performance (MBPP) trial. Contemp Clin Trials. 2023 Jun;129:107175. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2023.107175. Epub 2023 Apr 5.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 37028503 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

PACNL_MBPP_Stress

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id