Research summary · Mental health
Mindfulness and competitive anxiety: the comparison matters
This analysis examines competitive anxiety while distinguishing waitlist comparisons from active alternative interventions.
- Publication year
- 2026
- First published online
- Publication type
- Systematic review and meta-analysis
- Journal
- Frontiers in Psychology
- Population / context
- Multiple sports · Competitive athletes
What the publication reports
Eighteen controlled trials included 667 athletes. The pooled effect favoured mindfulness, but benefits were moderate against waitlists and close to zero against active controls.
Limits and interpretation
Heterogeneity was substantial. Between-study moderator findings cannot isolate a causal mechanism; attention and other shared intervention features may contribute. The results do not show superiority to every alternative psychological approach.
Read the source
Consult the original record for the full author list, methods, references, funding and competing-interest disclosures.
Mindfulness-based interventions for competitive anxiety in athletes: the moderating role of control type—Preliminary evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis
Original publication / indexed recordPMID: 42293928DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1832397Full text at the sourceReader discussion
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