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Cormac Robinson 

 
BSc [Hons] Applied Psychology

I am a fourth year student in the practice path of the B.Sc. Applied Psychology course at IADT. Subjects that I particularly liked were social psychology, abnormal psychology, personality and individual differences, sports psychology, and forensic psychology. My thesis is relevant to the fields of sports performance and mindfulness.

The Effect of Sport Type and Years of Sport Participation on Mindfulness in Athletes

My thesis titled investigates the impact of sport type (individual, team, and combat) and years of participation on athletes' mindfulness levels. Utilizing the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), the study measured mindfulness across a diverse sample of athletes. Contrary to previous research suggesting significant differences, the findings revealed no statistically significant variations in mindfulness scores based on sport type or duration of participation. This suggests that factors influencing mindfulness in athletes are more complex than previously understood. The study highlights the need for personalized mindfulness interventions and emphasizes the potential influences of psychological resilience and socio-cultural background on mindfulness. The cross-sectional design and data collection from local sports clubs may limit generalizability, pointing to the necessity for future longitudinal studies to better understand causal relationships and the broader implications for athlete training and well-being programs.


Project Objectives

The objectives of this thesis are to investigate the relationship between sport type and years of participation on mindfulness levels in athletes. Specifically, the research aims to compare mindfulness scores among individual, team, and combat sport athletes using the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS). Additionally, the study seeks to determine if the duration of sports participation impacts mindfulness scores. The findings are expected to provide insights that could inform tailored mindfulness-based interventions and enhance athlete training and wellbeing programs, contributing to the fields of sport psychology and performance science.


Project Outcomes

The outcomes of this thesis provide insights into the relationship between sport type, years of participation, and mindfulness levels in athletes. The study found no significant differences in mindfulness scores based on sport type, challenging the assumption that individual and combat sports foster higher mindfulness due to their solitary and introspective nature. Similarly, no significant differences in mindfulness scores were observed based on years of participation, though marginal significance suggests further exploration is warranted. There was no significant interaction between sport type and years of participation, indicating that these variables combined do not significantly influence mindfulness levels.

These outcomes highlight the complexity of factors affecting mindfulness in athletes, suggesting that sport type and participation duration alone may not be decisive. The findings emphasize the need for a nuanced understanding of the psychological and environmental contexts impacting mindfulness. This study contributes to sport psychology by stressing the importance of personalized training programs that consider individual differences. Future research should explore other influencing factors, such as psychological resilience and socio-cultural background, and employ longitudinal designs to assess causal relationships over time.

Applied Psychology
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