The Effect of Selected Leisure Sports Games on Mindfulness Skills, Anxiety, and Depression of Chronic Mental Patients

This study aimed to investigate the effect of selected sports games in leisure  on mindfulness skills, anxiety and depression of chronic mental patients. This is a quasi-experimental study and its participants consisted of women with chronic mental illness aged 20-30 years hospitalized in Atef Rehabilitation Centre of Mashhad in 2022. The statistical sample was selected as a total of 46 people, i.e., the entire statistical population. The samples were randomly divided into control and experimental groups. Data collection tools included the Kentucky Mindfulness Skills Questionnaire (2004), the Beck Depression Inventory (1961), and the Zung Anxiety Inventory (1971). In the pre-test, both groups filled out the questionnaires. The subjects of the experimental group played selected sports games for eight weeks, three days a week and every day for 60 minutes, and the control group continued their daily activities. Then, the two experimental and control groups participated in the post-test and filled out the questionnaires again. SPSS software version 24 was used for data analysis. Findings indicate that the mean of depression and anxiety decreased after the post-test, but the mean increased for mindfulness. Although there was a significant difference between the control and experimental groups in the variables of mindfulness, depression, and anxiety after selected sports games, the components of describing mindfulness and physical symptoms of anxiety were not significant. The results showed that considering that playing sports games in the leisure time of chronic mentally ill people improves their level of mental health, it is recommended that selected sports games be included in the leisure program of these patients; Therefore, spending sports leisure time while creating positive effects on the physical and mental dimensions of patients can be a good alternative to the same and inflexible daily programs of this group of society.   