Does Mindfulness Underpin The Mental Toughness - Self-compassion Relationship In Collegiate Athletes?

Abstract

Self-compassion (SC) and mental toughness (MT) are two psychological constructs that protect athletes against the stressors of sports, despite their seemingly contradictory conceptualizations. In the first exploration of their compatibility towards athletic performance at the elite level, Wilson, Bennett, Mosewich, Faulkner, and Crocker (2019) concluded that the connection between SC and MT is underpinned by mindfulness. This relationship however has not yet been explored at other levels. National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) programs can be compared with Division II (DII) and Division III (DIII) National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) programs given their similar financial, competitive, and enrollment philosophies. PURPOSE: To investigate if mindfulness underpins the MT - SC relationship in DII, DIII, and NAIA student-athletes. Hypothesis: MT and SC are compatible via mindfulness in all three collegiate environments. METHODS: Two inventories were administered via Qualtrics: the Mental Toughness Index and the Self-Compassion Scale, which includes a mindfulness subscale. The total sample was 396 student athletes: 313 DII or DIII; 86 NAIA. Statistical analyses consisted of zero-order correlations and regression analysis in SPSS. RESULTS: The estimated zero-order correlation between MT and SC was .46, but dropped to .31 after controlling for mindfulness. To further explore this relationship, the percentage of variability attributable to mindfulness was examined in a regression model. Mindfulness explained 32% of the variability beyond the 21% explained by MT for a total of 53%. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to explore the compatibility of MT and SC via mindfulness in the collegiate environment. Results suggest considerable overlap between MT and SC via mindfulness, supporting the hypothesis. Preliminary findings are in accordance with Wilson et al. (2019): mindfulness may be crucial to increasing and conserving both constructs in the sporting environment. Results may also support the notion that mindfulness be investigated as a possible component of MT, too. Suggestions for future research include larger-scale studies and triangulation through multi-rating. Possible limitations include convenience samples, unequal sample sizes, and self-reported data.