Mindfulness in Action: How Innovative and Inclusive Climates Affect Proactive Behaviors Through Mental Toughness.
Xuemin Han1, Huan Zhou2, Guoqiang Zeng2,3
1Sports Department, Hainan University, School of Tropical Agriculture and Forestry (SARA, SRR), Danzhou, Hainan Province, China.
Psych Journal
|April 29, 2026
Summary
Mindfulness and mental toughness boost athletes' proactive behaviors. An innovative team climate enhances this effect, offering insights for sports psychology and performance optimization.
Area of Science:
- Sports Psychology
- Organizational Psychology
Background:
- Proactive behaviors are vital for athletes' performance.
- Mindfulness and mental toughness are linked to performance, but their role in sustained proactive behaviors needs clarification.
- Team psychological climate may influence these relationships.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the indirect effect of mindfulness on proactive behaviors via mental toughness.
- To examine the moderating roles of innovative and inclusive team climates.
- To develop an integrated model of mindfulness-driven proactive behavior in sports.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional survey of 483 formal athletes in China.
- Structural equation modeling was used to test the proposed hypotheses.
- Analysis of the interplay between mindfulness, mental toughness, team climate, and proactive behaviors.
Main Results:
- Mindfulness positively impacts proactive behaviors indirectly through enhanced mental toughness.
- An innovative climate significantly moderates the indirect effect and reverses the direct effect of mindfulness.
- An inclusive climate did not show a significant moderating effect.
Conclusions:
- Mindfulness, mediated by mental toughness, is a key driver of athlete proactive behaviors.
- Team climate, particularly innovation, plays a crucial role in shaping the effectiveness of mindfulness interventions.
- Findings offer practical strategies for coaches and sports psychologists to foster proactive behaviors by optimizing team environments.
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