Plain English Summary
Background and study aims
Struggling to deliver performance in competitions is one of the main reasons why athletes seek the advice of sport psychologists. Psychologists apply a variety of techniques, many of which are not evidence-based. Evidence-based techniques could help athletes to increase and maintain functional athletic behaviour in competitions/games (i.e., being focused on task-relevant cues and executing movements and actions in high quality). However, well-designed studies investigating the effectiveness of sport psychological interventions for performance enhancement are scarce. The aim of this study is to examine the effectiveness of two interventions with elite and sub-elite athletes: psychological skills training (PST) and a mindfulness-based intervention (MI).
Who can participate?
Elite and sub-elite athletes aged 18 or over
What does the study involve?
Participants are randomly allocated to receive either the PST or MI intervention or to be put on a waiting list. Both interventions last 5 weeks, consist of four 2-hour sessions and are administered by a trained sport psychologist. All sessions take place in the same athletic performance centre. The participants’ functional athletic behavior is assessed during a competition/game. Competition anxiety, cognitive interference and negative outcome expectations are also assessed. Assessments are carried out before and after the intervention as well as at 2 months follow up.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Both PST and MI are expected to help improve functional behavior in athletes, and we will not only be able to answer the question of whether the interventions work, but also how, under what conditions, and for whom. There are no possible risks in participating in this study.
Where is the study run from?
Swiss Federal Institute of Sport Magglingen SFISM (Switzerland)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
October 2016 to March 2018
Who is funding the study?
The Swiss National Science Foundation (Switzerland)
Who is the main contact?
Philipp Röthlin
Study website
Contact information
Type
Scientific
Contact name
Mr Philipp Röthlin
ORCID ID
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2268-571X
Contact details
Alpenstrasse 18
Magglingen
2532
Switzerland
Additional identifiers
EudraCT/CTIS number
IRAS number
ClinicalTrials.gov number
Protocol/serial number
100019_156627
Study information
Scientific title
Psychological skills training and a mindfulness-based intervention to enhance functional athletic performance: design of a randomized controlled trial using ambulatory assessment
Acronym
Study hypothesis
The primary objective of this study is to assess the effects of a psychological skills training (PST) and mindfulness-based intervention (MI) in promoting functional athletic behavior (FAB) in elite athletes. We hypothesize that both active interventions are more effective than a waiting-list control condition in promoting FAB. We do not expect PST to be superior over MI or vice versa; rather, they are expected to increase FAB through different routes.
Ethics approval(s)
The ethics committee of the Swiss Federal Institute of Sport Magglingen SFISM, 15/03/2014
Study design
Interventional parallel-group randomised controlled trial
Primary study design
Interventional
Secondary study design
Randomised parallel trial
Study setting(s)
Other
Study type
Other
Patient information sheet
Not available in web format, please use contact details to request a participant information sheet
Condition
Functional behavior in athletes
Intervention
After a first contact and checking for inclusion and exclusion criteria (time 0), athletes will be stratified for gender, sport, and performance level, then randomly assigned to one of following three groups, and will be informed about their experimental condition:
1. Psychological skills training (PST): imagery, self-talk, goal-setting, arousal regulation
2. Mindfulness-based intervention (MI): mindful meditation, body scan, yoga
3. Waiting-list control group (WC)
The study is single-centre (all sessions will conducted at the center for elite sports of the Swiss Federal Institute of Sport). The interventions will be realized in groups of six athletes each, leading to six sub-groups in each condition (6 x 6 = 36 athletes, see power analysis). A manual will accompany the instructions for the interventions. All components of both interventions must be administered according to the manual’s specifications by a trained sport psychologist. Two independent raters will evaluate the adherence to each intervention on the basis of video recordings. In addition to psycho-education and practice at home guided by audio files that can be played on computers or portable devices such as smart phones. All participants will also be provided with a calendar of their exercises to tick off as they are completed, and daily text messages will remind them to practice their PST or mindfulness exercises. Each intervention consists of four 2-hour sessions over the course of 5 weeks. Participants will be advised to practice daily and record their amount of practice.
Intervention type
Behavioural
Primary outcome measure
Functional athletic behavior (FAB) assessed using ambulatory assessment (during games and competitions) before and after the intervention (pre-post) as well as at two months follow up (three timepoints in total).
Secondary outcome measures
1. Cognitive interference, competition anxiety, and negative outcome expectations measured by the according subscales of the Thought Occurrence Questionnaire (TOQS) and the Competition Anxiety Inventory State (CAI-S)
2. Objective measures of performance will be win/lose, points scored, unforced errors etc, subjective measures will be assessed using a single item (how well did you perform?)
Secondary outcome will be measured directly before and after the intervention (pre-post), as well as at two months follow up (three timepoints in total)
Overall study start date
01/07/2015
Overall study end date
30/03/2018
Reason abandoned (if study stopped)
Eligibility
Participant inclusion criteria
Elite, sub-elite, and recreational athletes from four sports (curling, volleyball, i.e., indoor and beach, tennis, and hockey, i.e., floorball and ice hockey), who are members of the respective Swiss national sport associations
Participant type(s)
Healthy volunteer
Age group
Adult
Sex
Both
Target number of participants
108
Total final enrolment
95
Participant exclusion criteria
1. Likely mental disorder
2. Significant previous experience with PST or MI
3. Less than 4 hours of athletic training per week
4. Being younger than 18
Recruitment start date
01/10/2016
Recruitment end date
30/09/2017
Locations
Countries of recruitment
Switzerland
Study participating centre
Swiss Federal Institute of Sport Magglingen SFISM
Alpenstrasse 18
Magglingen
2532
Switzerland
Sponsor information
Organisation
Swiss Federal Institute of Sport Magglingen SFISM (Switzerland)
Sponsor details
Hauptstrasse 247
Magglingen
2532
Switzerland
+41 (0)58 467 61 11
ehsm@baspo.admin.ch
Sponsor type
University/education
Website
ROR
Funders
Funder type
Research organisation
Funder name
Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung
Alternative name(s)
Schweizerischer Nationalfonds, Swiss National Science Foundation, Fonds National Suisse de la Recherche Scientifique, Fondo Nazionale Svizzero per la Ricerca Scientifica, Fonds National Suisse, Fondo Nazionale Svizzero, Schweizerische Nationalfonds, SNF, SNSF, FNS
Funding Body Type
private sector organisation
Funding Body Subtype
Trusts, charities, foundations (both public and private)
Location
Switzerland
Results and Publications
Publication and dissemination plan
We intend to publish a study protocol first, the manuscript is finished and has already been submitted. Next, we intend to publish the results of our intervention study in approximately one years' time.
Intention to publish date
30/09/2018
Individual participant data (IPD) sharing plan
IPD sharing plan summary
Data sharing statement to be made available at a later date
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Protocol article | protocol | 26/07/2016 | Yes | No | |
| Results article | results | 06/08/2020 | 07/08/2020 | Yes | No |