A Bibliometric Analysis of Mindfulness and Acceptance Research in Sports from 1969 to 2021

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to comprehensively summarize the historical developments, most prolific literature, countries, institutions, and journals related to mindfulness and acceptance research in sports from 1969 to 2021 as well as to identify active research areas and emerging trends, and anticipate future directions using bibliometrics. Method: Using “mindfulness *” OR “meditation *” AND “sport *” OR “athletic performance *” OR “athlete *” as search terms, we conducted a search of articles and review articles in the Web of Science core database, obtaining a descriptive summary of the relevant bibliometric data. Keyword co-occurrence networks were visualized using VOSviewer. CiteSpace was used to identify article citation bursts. Results: A total of 186 publications fulfilling the inclusion criteria were identified. Of these, 64 also included the keyword acceptance. The first article on mindfulness and sports was published in 1977. The first article with the additional search term “acceptance *” was published in 2004. The first randomized controlled trial (RCT) followed in 2014. An almost exponential growth in the number of publications started in 2014. The most prolific nation was initially the USA, while China has experienced the largest growth in recent years. Co-occurrence keyword analysis revealed that sport mindfulness research is focused on performance, flow, and acceptance. Recent trends reveal growing interest in impact mechanisms, self-compassion, and well-being, and a shift from review articles to RCTs. A future avenue might include neuroscientific studies. Conclusions: Mindfulness research in sports lags somewhat behind general mindfulness research. There is still a demand for high-quality RCTs.