Mindfulness training is associated with improved quality of life in female collegiate athletes

Objective: To examine the effects of a mindfulness intervention on health-related quality of life in female Division I collegiate athletes.Participants135 female collegiate athletes, ages 18 - 23 yearsMethods: Health related quality of life (HRQoL) was reported twice/year in approximately January and July from January 2017 to 2020 with the 12-question Veterans Rand survey (VR-12). Twenty-three of the participants received a 6-week, in-person, group mindfulness training in spring 2019, while 112 did not.Results: A significant interaction between time and mindfulness was identified with respect to the mental component score of the VR-12 of the VR-12 (MCS; beta = 3.86 +/- 1.56, p = 0.012) but no significant relationships were identified with respect to time (pre-mindfulness: beta = -2.36 +/- 1.38, p = 0.074), mindfulness (yes: beta = -2.26 +/- 1.54, p = 0.14) or season (winter: beta = -0.84 +/- 0.57, p = 0.14). With respect to the physical component score (PCS), no significant relationships were identified with respect to time (pre-mindfulness: beta = -1.09 +/- 1.21, p = 0.37), mindfulness (yes: beta = 1.30 +/- 1.31, p = 0.32), season (winter: beta = 0.50 +/- 0.50, p = 0.32), or the interaction between time and mindfulness (beta = 0.35 +/- 1 .36, p = 0.80).Conclusions: Among female collegiate athletes, mindfulness training is associated with significant improvements in mental HRQoL, but not physical HRQoL.