Intervention of Mindfulness Training on Attention Network and Negative Emotion Regulation in Adolescent Badminton Players

A Randomized Controlled Trial of an 8-Week Mindfulness-Based Training Intervention on Attentional Networks and Emotional Regulation Among 12-to-18-Year-Old Municipal-Level Badminton Athletes

This study is a randomized controlled trial to examine whether an 8-week mindfulness training program can improve attentional network function and emotion regulation in adolescent badminton athletes aged 12-18 years at the municipal team level. Participants are randomly assigned to either the mindfulness training group or a control group. The mindfulness intervention consists of twice-weekly guided sessions (90 minutes each) for 8 weeks, plus optional daily home practice. The control group continues with their regular training routine only. Changes in attention and emotion regulation are measured before and after the program to see if mindfulness training helps athletes better manage focus and emotions in training and competition.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Attentional Network Function and Emotion Regulation in Adolescent Badminton Athletes
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Mindfulness Training

Detailed Description

Background: Adolescent competitive badminton athletes often face high levels of competitive stress and attentional demands, which can negatively affect emotional regulation and performance. Mindfulness training has shown promise in improving attention and emotional control in athletes, but its specific effects on municipal-level adolescent badminton players remain understudied.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of an 8-week mindfulness-based training intervention on attentional network efficiency and emotion regulation capacities in 12-18-year-old municipal-level badminton athletes.

Methods: This is a single-center, two-arm randomized controlled trial. Eligible athletes are randomly allocated to either the intervention group or the control group. The intervention group receives an 8-week mindfulness training program consisting of twice-weekly guided sessions (90 minutes each), plus optional daily home practice. The control group continues with their standard badminton training routine without additional mindfulness training. Outcome measures include attentional network tests and emotion regulation scales, assessed at baseline and post-intervention.

Expected Outcomes: It is hypothesized that the mindfulness training group will show significant improvements in attentional alerting, orienting, and executive control, as well as better emotional regulation compared to the control group. The findings may provide practical evidence for incorporating mindfulness training into youth athlete development programs.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 37
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• China
  • Guangdong
    • Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, 510500
      • Guangzhou Sport University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion CInclusion Criteria:

Aged 12-18 years old Registered municipal-level badminton athletes No prior systematic mindfulness training experience Able to complete all assessments and training sessions

Exclusion Criteria:

History of severe mental disorders or neurological diseases Taking any psychotropic medication Major injury or surgery within the past 3 months Participation in other psychological intervention programs during the study

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Mindfulness Training Group; Participants receive 8 weeks of mindfulness training (twice weekly 90-minute guided sessions, plus optional daily home practice) in addition to their regular badminton training.	Behavioral: Mindfulness Training; 8-week mindfulness-based training program consisting of twice-weekly 90-minute guided sessions, including mindfulness meditation, body scan, and mindful movement, plus optional daily home practice.
No Intervention: Control Group; Participants continue with their regular badminton training routine only, without additional mindfulness training.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Attentional Network Efficiency	Change in attentional network function (alerting, orienting, and executive control) measured by the Attentional Network Test (ANT), from baseline to post-intervention (8 weeks).	Baseline, immediately after 8-week intervention
Change in Emotion Regulation Capacity	Change in emotion regulation ability measured by the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), from baseline to post-intervention (8 weeks).	Baseline, immediately after 8-week intervention
Change in Prefrontal Cortex Oxygenated Hemoglobin (HbO) Concentration	Change in prefrontal cortex oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO) concentration during resting state and cognitive tasks, measured by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), from baseline to post-intervention (8 weeks).	Baseline, immediately after 8-week intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in Skin Conductance Level (SCL)	Change in resting-state and task-evoked skin conductance level (SCL), measured by electrodermal activity (EDA) recording, from baseline to post-intervention (8 weeks).	Baseline, immediately after 8-week intervention
Change in Resting Heart Rate (HR)	Change in resting heart rate (HR) during baseline and post-intervention assessment sessions.	Baseline, immediately after 8-week intervention
Change in Resting Respiratory Rate (RR)	Change in resting respiratory rate (RR) during baseline and post-intervention assessment sessions.	Baseline, immediately after 8-week intervention

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Guangzhou Sport University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 17, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 1, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): June 1, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 22, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 22, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): April 29, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 29, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 22, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: 2024LCLL-30

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No