Abstract
The purpose of this study was to provide further validation a new measure of mental toughness in sport. The Inventory of Mental Toughness Factors in Sport (IMTF-S) was originally developed and validated using principal component analysis. For the present study, the psychometric properties of the IMTF-S were again evaluated, but by way of the Rasch Rating Scale Model using the same sample (n=329) of athletes, and the same 42-item instrument measuring mental toughness on a 5-point Likert-type scale (always-never). Results indicate the IMTF-S is a psychometrically-sound instrument capable of producing valid and reproducible measures of mental toughness in sports.
Highlights
1.1 Need for Sound InstrumentationMental toughness has been acknowledged as both a decisive factor in sport performance, as well as something that players and coaches value as being important to develop within their programs (Clough, Earle, & Sewell, 2002)
An extensive literature review was followed by a quantitative methodology of item analysis, principal components analysis, reliability analysis, and validity measures to develop the Inventory of Mental Toughness Factors in Sport (IMTF-S) and to validate its ability to measure mental toughness in athletes
The four-factor structure of the IMTF-S is the most recent attempt to capture the essence of mental toughness in sport
Summary
1.1 Need for Sound InstrumentationMental toughness has been acknowledged as both a decisive factor in sport performance, as well as something that players and coaches value as being important to develop within their programs (Clough, Earle, & Sewell, 2002). A past investigation produced similar findings in claiming that mental toughness, though very popular in terms of language, is one of the least understood concepts in the field of sport psychology (Jones, Hanton, & Connaughton, 2002). The concept of mental toughness has been identified as one’s ability to withstand adversity, pressure and stress (Clough et al, 2002; Goldberg, 1998; Jones et al, 2002; Loehr, 1995; Middleton, Marsh, Martin, Richards, & Perry, 2004a; Williams, 1988). Goldberg (2005) offers a similar definition of mental toughness which includes factors such as an athlete’s ability to cope with pressure/stress/adversity, to rebound after failure, to persist, and to be emotionally resilient. In an attempt to define and understand mental toughness in the sport of soccer, Thelwell, Weston and Greenless (2005) found mental toughness as having the “natural or developed psychological edge that enables [one] to ... always cope better than your opponents with the many demands (competition, training, lifestyle) that soccer places on the performer” and to “be more consistent and better than your opponents in remaining determined, focused, confident, and in control under pressure” (p. 328). Goldberg (2005) offers a similar definition of mental toughness which includes factors such as an athlete’s ability to cope with pressure/stress/adversity, to rebound after failure, to persist, and to be emotionally resilient. Gould, Dieffenbach and Moffet (2002), in conducting a qualitative study of 10 U.S Olympic champions, found that mental toughness was rated as a very important component of their success (mentioned by 73% of the subjects), but stated that there was no precise definition of the term used in the study
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