Perceptions of Injured Athletes after Eight Weeks of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program

Authors

  • Athanasios Pappous Department in Sport and Event Management, Bournemouth University, UK
  • Warhel Asim Mohammed  College of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, University of Duhok, Zakho Street, Duhok, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
  • Dinkar Sharma School of Psychology, University of Kent, Keynes College, Canterbury, Kent, UK

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/jpr.v3i2.3130

Abstract

Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) has been extensively applied as a clinical intervention by researchers’ who have made on-the-spot decisions research as part of their practice. This research was provided via a knowledge transfer of 8 weeks of MBSR based on the original MBSR version. The main objective of this study was to offer a qualitative explorative insight into the perceived experience of participating in a MBSR program for injured athletes. A semi structured interview was conducted with each injured athlete who participated in this study. A thematic analysis was applied to explore the themes which emerged from injured athletes’ experience after 8 weeks of participation in a MBSR program. Five themes emerged from injured athletes’ attitudes towards MBSR: 1) Reconnecting with the body, 2) Reconnecting with the mind, 3) Passivity of MBSR as opposed to the athletic praxis, 4) Group versus self-guided MBSR, 5) Acceptance of pain. These different themes are presented and discussed below. This particular qualitative exploratory investigation was based on injured athletes’ experiences in this study; MBSR can benefit them during the sport rehabilitation process. As such, the findings will promote scientific understanding about the effectiveness of MBSR as a clinical intervention. It should also be noted that, more investigation is required to find out about the role of mindfulness meditation in terms of therapeutic aspects with injured athletes.

Keywords:

Injured athletes, Mindfulness, Pain management, Exercise psychology, Mental health

References

[1] Nicholl, J. P., Coleman, P., & Williams, B. T. The epidemiology of sports and exercise related injury in the United Kingdom. British Journal of Sports Medicine (1995); 29(4), 232-238. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsm.29.4.232.

[2] Hawkins, R. D., & Fuller, C. W. A prospective epidemiological study of injuries in four English professional football clubs. British Journal of Sports Medicine (1999); 33(3), 196-203. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsm.33.3.196.

[3] Beynnon, B. D., Renström, P. A., Alosa, D. M., Baumhauer, J. F., & Vacek, P. M. Ankle ligament injury risk factors: A prospective study of college athletes. Journal of Orthopaedic Research (2001); 19(2), 213-220.

[4] Bahr, R., & Holme, I. Risk factors for sports injuries--a methodological approach. British Journal of Sports Medicine (2003); 37(5), 384-392. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsm.37.5.384.

[5] Schneider, S., Seither, B., Tonges, S., & Schmitt, H. Sports injuries: Population based representative data on incidence, diagnosis, sequelae, and high risk groups. British Journal of Sports Medicine (2006); 40(4), 334-9; discussion 339. DOI: https://doi.org/40/4/334.

[6] Brewer, B. W., & Redmond, C. Psychology of sport injury Human Kinetics (2016).

[7] Walker, N., & Heaney, C. Relaxation techniques in sport injury rehabilitation. The psychology of sport injury and rehabilitation. Routledge (2013); (pp. 105-121).

[8] Schinke, R. J., Stambulova, N. B., Si, G., & Moore, Z. International society of sport psychology position stand: Athletes’ mental health, performance, and development. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology (2018); 16(6), 622-639.

[9] Reese, L. M. S., Pittsinger, R., & Yang, J. Effectiveness of psychological intervention following sport injury. Journal of Sport and Health Science (2012); 1(2), 71-79.

[10] Markser, V. Z. Sport psychiatry and psychotherapy. mental strains and disorders in professional sports. challenge and answer to societal changes. European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience (2011); 261(2), 182.

[11] Saez De Heredia, Ramon Alzate, Munoz, A. R., & Artaza, J. L. The effect of psychological response on recovery of sport injury. Research in Sports Medicine (2004); 12(1), 15-31.

[12] Putukian, M. The psychological response to injury in student athletes: A narrative review with a focuson mental health. British Journal of Sports Medicine (2016); 50(3), 145-148. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2015-095586.

[13] Wiese-Bjornstal, D. M., Smith, A. M., Shaffer, S. M., & Morrey, M. A. An integrated model of response to sport injury: Psychological and sociological dynamics. Journal of applied sport psychology (1998); 10(1), 46-69.

[14] Maddison, R., & Prapavessis, H. A psychological approach to the prediction and prevention of athletic injury. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology (2005); 27(3), 289-310.

[15] Pazit, L., Karen, H., Fraser, D., Pile, R., Clare, A., Moreira, B., et al. A novel web-support intervention to promote recovery following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: A pilot randomised controlled trial. Physical Therapy in Sport (2017).

[16] World Health Organization. Investing in mental health (2003).

[17] Keilani, M., Hasenöhrl, T., Gartner, I., Krall, C., Fürnhammer, J., Cenik, F., et al. Use of mental techniques for competition and recovery in professional athletes. Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift (2016); 128(9-10), 315-319.

[18] Segal, Z. V., Teasdale, J. D., Williams, J. M., & Gemar, M. C. The mindfulness-based cognitive therapy adherence scale: Inter-rater reliability, adherence to protocol and treatment distinctiveness. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy (2002); 9(2), 131-138.

[19] Ergas, O. Mindfulness in education at the intersection of science, religion, and healing. Critical Studies in Education (2014); 55(1), 58-72.

[20] Pollard, A., Burchell, J., Castle, D., Neilson, K., Ftanou, M., Corry, J., et al. Individualised mindfulness-based stress reduction for head and neck cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy of curative intent: A descriptive pilot study. European Journal of Cancer Care (2017); 26(2), e12474.

[21] Reich, R. R., Lengacher, C. A., Alinat, C. B., Kip, K. E., Paterson, C., Ramesar, S., et al. Mindfulness-based stress reduction in post-treatment breast cancer patients: Immediate and sustained effects across multiple symptom clusters. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management (2017);53(1), 85-95.

[22] Krzeczkowski, J. E., Robb, S. A., & Good, D. E. Trait mindfulness is associated with lower post-injury psychological symptoms following a mild head injury. Mindfulness, (2017); 8(6), 1594-1602.

[23] Dobkin, P. L., & Hassed, C. S. Steps for starting and sustaining programs. Mindful medical practitioners (2016); (pp. 65-74) Springer.

[24] Kabat-Zinn, J. Full catastrophe living, revised edition: How to cope with stress, pain and illness using mindfulness meditation Hachette UK (2013).

[25] Fitzpatrick, L., Simpson, J., & Smith, A. A qualitative analysis of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) in Parkinson's disease. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice (2010). 83(2), 179-192.

[26] Abercrombie, P.D., Zamora, A. & Korn, A.P. "Lessons learned: Providing a mindfulness-based stress reduction program for low-income multiethnic women with abnormal pap smears", Holistic nursing practice (2007); vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 26-34.

[27] Cohen-Katz, J., Wiley, S. D., Capuano, T., Baker, D. M., & Shapiro, S. The effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on nurse stress and burnout, part II: A quantitative and qualitative study. Holistic Nursing Practice (2005); 19(1), 26-35.

[28] Mackenzie, M. J., Carlson, L. E., Munoz, M., & Speca, M. A qualitative study of self-perceived effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) in a psychosocial oncology setting. Stress and Health: Journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress (2007); 23(1), 59-69.

[29] Mohammed, WA. Pappous, A. and Sharma D. Effect of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) in Increasing Pain Tolerance and Improving the Mental Health of Injured Athletes. Front. Psychol (2018); 9:722. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00722.

[30] Braun, V., & Clarke, V. Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology (2006); 3(2), 77-101.

[31] Kornfield, J. Meditation for beginners: Six guided meditations for insight, inner clarity, and cultivating a compassionate heart. Random House (2005).

[32] Arefnasab, Z., Babamahmoodi, A., Babamahmoodi, F., Noorbala, A. A., Alipour, A., Panahi, Y., et al. Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and its effects on psychoimmunological factors of chemically pulmonary injured veterans. Iranian Journal of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (2016); 15(6), 476- 486.

[33] Ali, A., Weiss, T. R., Dutton, A., McKee, D., Jones, K. D., Kashikar-Zuck, S., et al. Mindfulness-based stress reduction for adolescents with functional somatic syndromes: A pilot cohort study. The Journal of Pediatrics (2017);183 184-190.

[34] Zhang, J., Zhou, Y., Feng, Z., Fan, Y., Zeng, G., & Wei, L. Randomized controlled trial of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on posttraumatic growth of Chinese breast cancer survivors. Psychology, Health & Medicine (2017); 22(1), 94-109.

[35] Kabat-Zinn, J. An outpatient program in behavioral medicine for chronic pain patients based on the practice of mindfulness meditation: Theoretical considerations and preliminary results. General Hospital Psychiatry (1982); 4(1), 33-47.

[36] Kabat-Zinn, J., Lipworth, L., Burney, R., & Sellers, W. Four-year follow-up of a meditation-based program for the self-regulation of chronic pain: Treatment outcomes and compliance. The Clinical Journal of Pain (1987); 3(1), 60.

[37] Kingston, J., Chadwick, P., Meron, D., & Skinner, T. C. A pilot randomized control trial investigating the effect of mindfulness practice on pain tolerance, psychological well-being, and physiological activity. Journal of Psychosomatic Research (2007); 62(3), 297-300.

[38] Zeidan, F., Gordon, N. S., Merchant, J., & Goolkasian, P. The effects of brief mindfulness meditation training on experimentally induced pain. The Journal of Pain (2010); 11(3), 199-209.

[39] Brown, C. A., & Jones, A. K. Psychobiological correlates of improved mental health in patients with musculoskeletal pain after a mindfulness-based pain management program. The Clinical Journal of Pain (2013); 29(3), 233-244.

[40] Kabat-Zinn, J. Wherever You Go, there You are Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life: Hachette UK (2009).

[41] Carmody, J., & Baer, R. A. Relationships between mindfulness practice and levels of mindfulness, medical and psychological symptoms and well-being in a mindfulness-based stress reduction program. Journal of Behavioral Medicine (2008); 31(1), 23-33.

[42] Nyklícek, I., & Kuijpers, K. F. Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention on psychological well-being and quality of life: Is increased mindfulness indeed the mechanism? Annals of Behavioral Medicine (2008); 35(3), 331-340.

[43] Hoffman, C. J., Ersser, S. J., Hopkinson, J. B., Nicholls, P. G., Harrington, J. E., & Thomas, P. W. Effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction in mood, breast- and endocrine-related quality of life, and well-being in stage 0 to III breast cancer: A randomized, controlled trial. Journal of Clinical Oncology: Official Journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (2012); 30(12), 1335-1342. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2010.34.0331.

[44] Nejati, S., Rajezi Esfahani, S., Rahmani, S., Afrookhteh, G., & Hoveida, S. The effect of group mindfulness-based stress reduction and consciousness yoga program on quality of life and fatigue severity in patients with MS. Journal of Caring Sciences (2016); 5(4), 325-335. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15171/jcs.2016.034.

[45] Mahoney, J., & Hanrahan, S. J. A brief educational intervention using acceptance and commitment therapy: Four injured athletes’ experiences. Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology (2011); 5(3), 252-273.

[46] Pen, Lorette J. and Craig A. Fisher. Athletes and Pain Tolerance. Sports Medicine (1994); 18, 496 no. 5 319-329. 497.

Downloads

How to Cite

Pappous, A., Mohammed , W. A., & Sharma, D. (2021). Perceptions of Injured Athletes after Eight Weeks of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program. Journal of Psychological Research, 3(2), 35–44. https://doi.org/10.30564/jpr.v3i2.3130

Issue

Article Type

Article