Australian Journal of Psychology

Psychological Perspectives on Athlete Well-being in Sport: The Role of Contemplative Practices

Athlete well-being has become an increasingly important focus within contemporary sport psychology, with growing recognition that psychological, emotional, and existential factors significantly influence athletes’ performance, motivation, and long-term development. Techniques that focus on awareness, reflection, and inner balance (e.g., mindfulness practices) help athletes construct meaning, regulate emotions, manage stress, and cultivate resilience in challenging competitive environments. This Article Collection invites research exploring how such approaches shape psychological functioning across training, competition, injury, and recovery. By bringing together theoretical insights, empirical findings, and applied perspectives, the Collection aims to deepen understanding of the mechanisms through which contemplative and personal practices contribute to athlete well-being and to highlight culturally informed, psychologically grounded approaches that support healthy and sustainable participation in sport.

Athletes experience unique stressors related to performance expectations, injury, identity development, and career transitions, underscoring the need to identify psychological resources that promote resilience and emotional stability. Moreover, athletes must regularly manage pressure, interpret adversity, and cultivate adaptive coping strategies. Given the growing cultural and individual diversity within athletic populations where beliefs and contemplative practices play meaningful roles in shaping experiences, examining these processes in sport contexts can reveal how best to promote positive mental health outcomes. By integrating these perspectives, the Collection can generate insights that enhance athlete support systems, guide intervention development, and contribute to a more holistic understanding of well-being in sport.

This Article Collection focuses on the psychological mechanisms and internal practices that may shape athlete well-being. Subtopics may include meaning-making processes, emotional and attentional regulation, coping and resilience, motivation, identity development, culture-specific psychological experiences, and the mental health impacts of spiritual or contemplative practices. Research exploring the psychological effects of mindfulness-based interventions, religious coping during injury or competitive stress, and cross-cultural differences in athletes’ belief systems is particularly welcome. The Collection also encourages investigations that examine how these factors interact with established psychological constructs relevant to sport, such as confidence, self-regulation, stress responses, and recovery. Preferred article types include empirical studies, systematic or scoping reviews, theoretical papers, qualitative research, and mixed-methods research that offer clear psychological contributions. Together, these works will advance a comprehensive understanding of how diverse belief systems and contemplative practices support psychological well-being in sport contexts.

Please contact Dr. MK Huffman at [email protected] with any queries about discount codes regarding this Article Collection.

Please be sure to select the appropriate Article Collection from the drop-down menu in the submission system.

Dr. Young-Eun Noh is a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Sports and Exercise Science at the University of Malaya. She earned her doctoral degree in Sport and Exercise Psychology from Victoria University, Australia, where she received the esteemed International Postgraduate Research Scholarship. She completed her Master of Physical Education in Sport and Exercise Psychology at Chonnam National University and her Bachelor's degree in Dance at Chosun University, South Korea. Her research primarily focuses on designing intervention programs for injury prevention and performance enhancement in sports and dance. Her current research explores the intricate interplay between religion and sport, with a particular focus on how athletes’ religious beliefs and practices intersect with their sporting experiences. Additionally, she is interested in investigating the role of meditation in promoting resilience.

Dr. Noh declares no conflict of interest regarding this work.