Implementing Meditation in Single Intervention: Perception of Stress and Pain in College Student Athletes

Abstract:

College student-athletes experience unique stressors when balancing academics, sports, and social life. Such circumstances can be taxing on their mental and physical health. The objective of the study is to investigate the effects of two distinct forms of meditation in a single session to reduce stress and pain perception in student-athletes. Prior to the study, subjects were made aware they would be participating in a relaxation experience. We recruited both student-athletes and non-athletes for this study. All participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: a group to practice loving-kindness meditation, also known as Metta, another for mindfulness, or a third control group. Participants were asked to complete a brief questionnaire immediately before and after the intervention. The questionnaire prompted participants to gauge their levels of stress, using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), perceptions of pain using the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) , as well as secondary measures pertinent to attitudes associated with mindfulness. It was hypothesized that stress would be significantly lower in those who participated in an intervention than in the control group and pain would be lower in the mindfulness group. It was also hypothesized that there will be a strong, significant, negative relationship between levels of mindfulness and levels of stress and pain. With student athletes and college students in general, using mindfulness as a way to decrease stress and perceived pain levels is an effective coping skill that is supported by data of previous studies.