A cross-sectional analysis of mental toughness and related constructs across key stages 2, 3 and 4

Abstract

Mental toughness is linked to attainment and progression in education, as well as wellbeing. Whether it changes across development has not been thoroughly studied. Mental toughness, and related constructs were measured in 293 participants aged between 7 and 16. Mental toughness, self-efficacy, wellbeing, positive motivation and positive engagement decreased across the age groups, but there was no significant effect of age on mental toughness when the other variables were controlled for. Mental toughness predicted wellbeing when measured alone, but not alongside the other constructs. This suggests that while interventions should be applied at a young age to prevent decreases in mental toughness from occurring, mental toughness may not be as unique as previous research has claimed.