Mindfulness Matters: Use and Perceptions of Mindfulness Practices Among Athletic Trainers

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Psychology
• Healthcare Professionals

Background:

• Mindfulness practices enhance recovery, reduce stress, and improve resilience.
• These practices benefit healthcare professionals and patient outcomes.
• Mindfulness has not been previously studied in athletic trainers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine athletic trainers' utilization of mindfulness.
• To understand their perceptions of mindfulness for self-care and patient care.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey was administered to 547 practicing athletic trainers.
• The survey assessed mindfulness use and perceptions.
• Statistical analyses included Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis, and Wilcoxon signed rank tests.

Main Results:

• 86% of athletic trainers reported practicing mindfulness.
• Mindfulness use was higher for self-care than patient care (occasionally vs. rarely).
• Mindfulness was perceived as more important for self-care than patient care.

Conclusions:

• Athletic trainers use and value mindfulness more for personal wellbeing than patient care.
• Demographic factors (gender, relationship status, children) and setting influenced mindfulness use.
• Mindfulness interventions and barriers for athletic trainers warrant further investigation.