Mindfulness, Psychological Resilience, and Cognitive Reappraisal on Athletic Performance: A Predictive Model Based on Psychological Mechanisms

Abstract Mindfulness is increasingly recognized as a psychological resource in sport, yet the mechanisms by which it enhances athletic performance remain underexplored. This research seeks to construct a predictive framework to examine how mindfulness affects athletic performance, specifically through the intermediary functions of cognitive reappraisal and psychological resilience. A total of 482 competitive university athletes from Sichuan Province, China, participated in a cross-sectional survey. Following preliminary analyses—including descriptive statistics, reliability assessment, and validity checks—the study employed structural equation modeling (SEM) to explore the hypothesized relationships. The findings demonstrated that mindfulness not only directly influenced athletic performance but also exerted indirect effects mediated by cognitive reappraisal and psychological resilience. Evidence also confirmed a sequential mediation route in which mindfulness enhances performance via cognitive reappraisal followed by psychological resilience, suggesting the presence of a multi-stage self-regulation process. The model provides theoretical grounding for staged mental training interventions in sport and supports the structured development of psychological skills to optimize athletic outcomes.