Trait mindfulness, psychological skills, and mental toughness in paddleboard athletes: A correlational study

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 172 athletes. Participants completed the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), the Athletic Coping Skills Inventory-28 (ACSI-28), and the Sport Mental Toughness Questionnaire (SMTQ). Results indicated moderate-to-high levels across all study variables, with no significant gender differences observed. Trait mindfulness was positively associated with psychological regulation processes (r = 0.642), and both variables were positively associated with mental performance expression (r = 0.498). Psychological regulation processes were strongly associated with mental performance expression (r = 0.772). A significant indirect association was observed between trait mindfulness and mental performance expression via psychological regulation processes (b = 4.197), based on bootstrap mediation analysis. These findings suggest that psychological variables in paddleboarding are characterized by a pattern of interrelated statistical associations among trait mindfulness, regulatory processes, and performance-related outcomes. The results contribute to sport psychology literature by clarifying the relational structure among these constructs in a balance-demanding sport context.