The effect of mindfulness intervention on perceived stress and salivary immunoglobulin A (sIgA) levels in elite wrestlers during competition

The present study was conducted with the aim of determining the effect of mindfulness intervention on perceived stress and salivary immunoglobulin A (sIgA) levels of elite wrestlers during the competition period.

20 male elite freestyle wrestlers (age: 22.36±2.38) participated in this study and were randomly assigned to experimental (mindfulness-based intervention) and control groups. Two official competitions were used as pre-test and post-test. Perceived stress was measured by the short version of Perceived stress scale. Awakening and competitive levels of salivary immunoglobulin A were evaluated using the ELISA method. The experimental group participated in 8-week mindfulness intervention (two sessions per week). Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA and independent t-test.

The results showed that after the 8 weeks of intervention, perceived stress was reduced in the experimental group. Hoewer, the awakening and competitive levels of immunoglobulin A did not show a significant difference compared to the control group from pre-test to post-test.

In general, it can be concluded that mindfulness intervention can be a strategy to reduce the perceived stress in elite wrestlers during the competition period. Future studies with larger samples with other disciplines can better demonstrate the comprehensiveness of the results.