Examining the Effectiveness of Mindfulness Based Training Program on Female Handball Players’ Psychological Skills and Coping with Stress Strategies

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the effectiveness of a mindfulness-based training program on female handball athletes’ psychological skills and strategies to cope with stress in sport. In the study, as a quasi-experimental method, pre-test, and post-test models without a control group were used. The study group consists of 9 female handball players who play in the Antalya Muratpasa Municipality Women's Handball Team. In the research, a personal information questionnaire, the Athletic Coping Skills Inventory and Coping Strategies in Sport Competition Inventory were used to collect data as pre-test before the program and as post-test at the end of the program. In the study, the Mindfulness-Based Training Program was implemented once a week as group training, consisting of 8 sessions lasted 60 minutes each. Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test was used to test the significance of the scope difference. As a result of the study, after the program, there was a significant difference in terms of ability to cope with adversity, coachability, concentration, goal setting and mental preparation, and being free from worries. Moreover, a significant difference between pre-test and post-test scores of the task-oriented coping dimension in Sport Competition Inventory was noted.