Effect of Mindfulness on the Stress–Recovery Balance in Professional Soccer Players during the Competitive Season

Joaquín Holguín-Ramírez, Arnulfo Ramos-Jiménez, José Trinidad Quezada-Chacón, Mónica Sofía Cervantes-Borunda and Rosa Patricia Hernández-Torres
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Joaquín Holguín-Ramírez: Facultad de Ciencias de la Cultura Física, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, Chihuahua 31000, Mexico
Arnulfo Ramos-Jiménez: Departamento de Ciencias de la Salud, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua 32310, Mexico
José Trinidad Quezada-Chacón: Departamento de Ciencias de la Salud, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua 32310, Mexico
Mónica Sofía Cervantes-Borunda: Facultad de Ciencias de la Cultura Física, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, Chihuahua 31000, Mexico
Rosa Patricia Hernández-Torres: Facultad de Ciencias de la Cultura Física, Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua, Chihuahua 31000, Mexico

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 17, 1-10

Abstract: Professional athletes are subjected to constant stress that often leads them to exceed their capacities and lose their homeostasis, which without a proper recovery program can lead to injury, chronic fatigue, and overtraining. This work examines the effect of six weeks of a psychological intervention called Mindful Sports Performance Enhancement (MSPE), on the stress–recovery balance in professional soccer players during a competitive season. Methods: The RESTQ-76 Sport psychometric questionnaire and heart rate variability (HRV) were used as psychometric and physiological evaluation methods. Under a longitudinal case–control study and having complied with bioethical procedures, 42 professional soccer players (22 control without treatment and 20 experimental), age 17 ± 1 year, weight 63 ± 11 kg, and height 172 ± 7 cm, were analyzed. Results: RESTQ-76 Sport increased the stress–recovery balance and global recovery ( p < 0.5), but decreased global stress. The stress–recovery balance values measured by the nonlinear indicators of the HRV: SD1, SD2, SS, and S:PS, were not modified. Conclusions: Six weeks of MSPE improves the stress–recovery balance in third-division professional soccer players during the competitive season, reduces stress, and increases recovery. These positive effects were not observed in the nonlinear indicators of the HRV: SD1, SD2, SS, and S:PS.

Keywords: physical exercise; sport psychology; stress disorder; complementary therapy; athletic performance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:17:p:7091-:d:406468

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