Data Sheet 1_Mapping the use of mental imagery for stress management in athletes: a scoping review.pdf

Data were synthesised descriptively and narratively; no meta-analysis or formal quality appraisal was undertaken, consistent with the purpose of a scoping review.</p>Results<p>Thirty-nine core empirical studies met both operational gates and were charted, 20 from the original search and 19 from the update; a further 94 sources were retained for narrative or contextual framing. Nineteen (49%) of the charted studies were published in 2023 or later.

Of the 39 charted studies, 24 (62%) examined psychological mechanisms, 21 (54%) addressed performance outcomes and psychological fatigue, 13 (33%) examined individual and sport-specific variation, and 7 (18%) concerned injury prevention and rehabilitation. Imagery was most often linked to stress management through appraisal- and emotion-related processes, was commonly embedded within multicomponent psychological-skills programmes, and varied by athlete and sport context.

Null and inconclusive findings were also identified, including divergent mediation results and unmet feasibility criteria.</p>Discussion<p>Associations involving imagery ability or imagery use do not by themselves establish intervention efficacy, and outcomes from multicomponent programmes cannot usually be attributed to imagery alone. The evidence map supports clearer construct definitions and component-controlled, longitudinal research rather than causal conclusions about a uniform imagery intervention.</p>