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Category: Project

Description: Music performance anxiety (MPA) is a common damaging phenomenon for any musician’s career. Mindfulness stands as a promising construct to prevent MPA. However, the relationships between mindfulness and MPA are still not fully explored, alongside other relevant attention-based (e.g., self-consciousness) or emotion-based constructs (e.g., negative affect). This study explores the relationships between mindfulness, MPA, self-consciousness, and negative affect. A sample of 151 musicians were assessed to explore the relationships between these constructs. Self-reports of mindfulness, MPA, negative affect, and self-consciousness were applied. We implemented network analysis, a novel technique, following a general (second-order) and specific (first-order) framework. Dispositional mindfulness was negatively associated with negative affect and MPA in both general and facet levels, while mindfulness in past performances was only negatively associated with negative affect. In addition, mindfulness displayed light or no associations with self-consciousness. MPA was positively associated with negative affect and self-consciousness. The first-order network showed mindfulness facets with specific roles: Describe and acting with awareness were negatively associated with MPA components and negative affect, while Non-judging and decentering in performance situations were negatively associated with negative affect in performance situations. Thus, mindfulness seems to be a relevant construct towards MPA. We propose a preliminary model to improve mindfulness research and interventions applied to music performers. Future directions and implications are also discussed.