Interoceptive Awareness, Perceived Stress, and Physical Performance in Sport Sciences Students

NCT07696234 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 2026/9991
• Study Type: observational
• Target: 85
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This cross-sectional observational study examined the relationships between interoceptive awareness, perceived stress, state and trait anxiety, sleep quality, and physical performance indicators in university-level sport sciences students. A total of 85 undergraduate students (54 males, 31 females; mean age = 20.65 ± 2.43 years) from the Faculty of Sport Sciences at Inonu University participated. Participants completed self-report measures (MAIA-2, PSS-10, STAI, PSQI) and a physical performance battery including handgrip strength, countermovement jump, sit-and-reach flexibility, and Y-Balance test. The study also investigated the moderator role of gender and sport type (team vs. individual) in these relationships, and tested the parallel mediating roles of perceived stress, trait anxiety, and sleep quality using PROCESS Model 4 with 5,000 bootstrap resamples.

Conditions

Interoception; Perceived Stress; Anxiety; Sleep Quality; Physical Performance; Athletic Performance

Keywords

Interoceptive awareness; MAIA-2; Perceived Stress Scale; State-Trait Anxiety; Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index; Handgrip strength; Countermovement jump; Sit-and-reach; Y-Balance test; Sport sciences students; Mediation analysis; Gender differences; Team sports; Individual sports

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (5)

• Interoceptive Awareness - MAIA-2 Total Score

  Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness, Version 2 (MAIA-2) total score. The MAIA-2 is a 37-item self-report questionnaire assessing eight dimensions of interoceptive awareness (Noticing, Not-Distracting, Not-Worrying, Attention Regulation, Emotional Awareness, Self-Regulation, Body Listening, Trusting). Higher scores indicate greater interoceptive awareness. Total score is calculated as the mean of all 37 items (range: 0-5).

  Single measurement at baseline (cross-sectional)

• Handgrip Strength

  Maximal handgrip strength (kg) measured using a digital hand dynamometer (Baseline Model 12-0286). Participants performed three trials with the dominant hand in a standing position with the elbow in full extension. The highest of three trials was recorded, with 30-second rest between trials.

  Single measurement at baseline (cross-sectional)

• Sit-and-Reach Flexibility

  Dynamic balance and neuromuscular control assessed using the Y-Balance Test. Participants reached in anterior, posteromedial, and posterolateral directions while standing on one leg. Composite scores (%) were calculated for both right and left legs, normalized to leg length.

  Single measurement at baseline (cross-sectional)

• Countermovement Jump Height

  Vertical jump height (cm) assessed using the My Jump 2 mobile application, a validated iPhone-based tool for measuring jump performance. Participants performed three maximal countermovement jumps with hands on hips and knee flexion of approximately 90°. The highest value was recorded, with 60-second rest between trials.

  Single measurement at baseline (cross-sectional)

• Y-Balance Test Composite Score

  Dynamic balance and neuromuscular control assessed using the Y-Balance Test. Participants reached in anterior, posteromedial, and posterolateral directions while standing on one leg. Composite scores (%) were calculated for both right and left legs, normalized to leg length.

  Single measurement at baseline (cross-sectional)

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• State Anxiety - STAI-S Total Score

  Single measurement at baseline (cross-sectional)

• Trait Anxiety - STAI-T Total Score

  Single measurement at baseline (cross-sectional)

• Sleep Quality - PSQI Global Score

  Single measurement at baseline; assesses sleep quality during the past month.

• Perceived Stress - PSS-10 Total Score

  Single measurement at baseline; assesses stress experienced during the past month.

Study Arms (1)

Sport Sciences Students

Undergraduate students enrolled at the Faculty of Sport Sciences, Inonu University. Participants included both team-sport athletes (n = 44) and individual-sport athletes (n = 32), with an additional 9 participants who did not report an active sport branch. Mean age was 20.65 ± 2.43 years (54 males, 31 females).

Other: Psychological and Physical Performance Assessment Battery

Interventions

Psychological and Physical Performance Assessment Battery OTHER

Participants completed a battery of self-report psychological measures (MAIA-2, PSS-10, STAI State-Trait, PSQI) followed by a standardized physical performance testing session including handgrip strength (digital dynamometer), countermovement jump (My Jump 2 mobile application), sit-and-reach flexibility test, and Y-Balance test. All assessments were conducted in a single 45-minute session per participant.

Sport Sciences Students

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Undergraduate students enrolled at the Faculty of Sport Sciences, Inonu University, Malatya, Turkey. The sample comprised 85 participants (54 males, 31 females; mean age = 20.65 ± 2.43 years) with diverse sport backgrounds, including team-sport athletes (n = 44), individual-sport athletes (n = 32), and students not actively participating in a specific sport branch (n = 9). Participants were recruited via convenience sampling during the Spring 2026 semester.

You may qualify if:

• Enrollment as an undergraduate student at the Faculty of Sport Sciences, Inonu University
• Age 18 years or older
• Voluntary willingness to participate in the study
• Provision of written informed consent
• Absence of acute injury or illness on the day of measurement

You may not qualify if:

• Acute musculoskeletal injury or illness at the time of measurement
• Failure or refusal to provide written informed consent
• Incomplete data on primary study measures
• Any contraindication to physical performance testing

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Inonu University: lead

Study Sites (1)

Inonu University, Faculty of Sport Sciences

Malatya, Malatya, 44280, Turkey (Türkiye)

Location

Related Publications (8)

• Mehling WE, Acree M, Stewart A, Silas J, Jones A. The Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness, Version 2 (MAIA-2). PLoS One. 2018 Dec 4;13(12):e0208034. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0208034. eCollection 2018.

  PMID: 30513087 BACKGROUND

• Pluhar E, McCracken C, Griffith KL, Christino MA, Sugimoto D, Meehan WP 3rd. Team Sport Athletes May Be Less Likely To Suffer Anxiety or Depression than Individual Sport Athletes. J Sports Sci Med. 2019 Aug 1;18(3):490-496. eCollection 2019 Sep.

  PMID: 31427871 BACKGROUND

• Farb N, Daubenmier J, Price CJ, Gard T, Kerr C, Dunn BD, Klein AC, Paulus MP, Mehling WE. Interoception, contemplative practice, and health. Front Psychol. 2015 Jun 9;6:763. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00763. eCollection 2015.

  PMID: 26106345 BACKGROUND

• Forkmann T, Scherer A, Meessen J, Michal M, Schachinger H, Vogele C, Schulz A. Making sense of what you sense: Disentangling interoceptive awareness, sensibility and accuracy. Int J Psychophysiol. 2016 Nov;109:71-80. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2016.09.019. Epub 2016 Oct 1.

  PMID: 27702644 BACKGROUND

• Khalsa SS, Adolphs R, Cameron OG, Critchley HD, Davenport PW, Feinstein JS, Feusner JD, Garfinkel SN, Lane RD, Mehling WE, Meuret AE, Nemeroff CB, Oppenheimer S, Petzschner FH, Pollatos O, Rhudy JL, Schramm LP, Simmons WK, Stein MB, Stephan KE, Van den Bergh O, Van Diest I, von Leupoldt A, Paulus MP; Interoception Summit 2016 participants. Interoception and Mental Health: A Roadmap. Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging. 2018 Jun;3(6):501-513. doi: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2017.12.004. Epub 2017 Dec 28.

  PMID: 29884281 BACKGROUND

• Balsalobre-Fernandez C, Glaister M, Lockey RA. The validity and reliability of an iPhone app for measuring vertical jump performance. J Sports Sci. 2015;33(15):1574-9. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2014.996184. Epub 2015 Jan 2.

  PMID: 25555023 BACKGROUND

• Cohen S, Kamarck T, Mermelstein R. A global measure of perceived stress. J Health Soc Behav. 1983 Dec;24(4):385-96. No abstract available.

  PMID: 6668417 BACKGROUND

• Buysse DJ, Reynolds CF 3rd, Monk TH, Berman SR, Kupfer DJ. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index: a new instrument for psychiatric practice and research. Psychiatry Res. 1989 May;28(2):193-213. doi: 10.1016/0165-1781(89)90047-4.

  PMID: 2748771 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Anxiety Disorders; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Mental Disorders; Sleep Disorders, Intrinsic; Dyssomnias; Sleep Wake Disorders; Nervous System Diseases

Study Design

• Study Type: observational
• Observational Model: CASE ONLY
• Time Perspective: CROSS SECTIONAL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 6, 2026
• First Posted: July 10, 2026
• Study Start: May 11, 2026
• Primary Completion: May 17, 2026
• Study Completion: May 17, 2026
• Last Updated: July 10, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-07

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

TU (1)