Testing a Psychological Intervention in Elite Athletes to Alleviate the Psychomotor Consequences of Doping: The Moderating Role of Personality.

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate a psychological intervention intended to reduce the psychomotor effects of doping. The research also examined how conscientiousness and emotional stability moderated the intervention's effectiveness. The intervention was developed based on the literature and included two components: biofeedback and mental imagery/rehearsal. Athletes reported higher scores post-intervention in coordination, sports skills, overall physical condition, strength, flexibility, endurance, and general self-esteem. Similar results have been observed in previous studies related to biofeedback and mental imagery. According to the results, athletes with higher conscientiousness benefited more from the intervention in terms of coordination, flexibility, and endurance. The data support the idea that emotionally stable athletes benefit more from the intervention in terms of overall physical condition and general self-esteem. Theoretically, the studies highlight the importance of psychological interventions in enhancing athletes' psychomotor performance and the interaction between these interventions and individual differences among participants. The findings are relevant for sports psychology practitioners, as they provide additional evidence for the use of biofeedback and mental imagery with athletes.