Enhancing mental toughness in upper school-aged male children within sports school setting: An experimental study.

Health literacy is crucial for promoting healthy behaviors and is linked to improved health outcomes among adolescents, yet global levels remain suboptimal. In Hong Kong, where rising rates of obesity and related health issues among adolescents are of increasing concern, understanding health literacy in this population is essential. However, current interventions of health literacy face challenges in effectively addressing the differences between the target groups. Therefore, this study aims to investigate factors associated with health literacy among adolescents in Hong Kong, to provide evidence for identifying groups for intervention implementation. This is a cross-sectional study conducted in Hong Kong. Secondary school students from grades 1 to 4 in Hong Kong were recruited to complete a 98-item survey measuring socio-demographic information, socioeconomic status (SES), health behaviors, mental toughness, and health literacy. Group differences were analyzed using t-tests and ANOVA. Univariable and multivariable linear regression models examined factors associated with adolescent health literacy. A total of 1423 adolescents were included in this study. The mean health literacy score was 57.24 (SD = 17.04) in the adolescents. Multivariable regression showed that aged over 14 years (β = 3.79), medium SES (β = 2.91), high SES (β = 4.80), adequate vegetable intake (β = 0.041), adequate fruit intake (β = 3.13), and mental toughness (β = 10.69) were positively related to overall health literacy. Smoking (β = − 7.38), alcohol drinking (β = − 4.03), excessive electronic game screen time (β = − 2.06), and male gender (β = − 3.86) were negatively associated with overall health literacy. Mental toughness (β = 4.27–12.43) showed a strong positive association across all health literacy sub-domains. This study identified high-risk groups with regard to health literacy among adolescents, including younger individuals, males, those with lower socioeconomic status, poor dietary habits, lower levels of mental toughness, and those engaging in risky behaviors. Future policies and interventions should specifically target these groups to optimize the effectiveness of subsequent initiatives.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-025-28900-y.

The purpose of the study. Participate in elite sports requires a well-prepared long term training under fabourable and unfavourable environments, both physically and mentally preparation of an athlete. However, psychological aspects like sports self-esteem and mental toughness are often neglected in sports performance. The present study was conducted to find out whether the trends of two important psychological factors affect the athlete performance or not. Materials and methods. The bibliometric data was collected from the Web of Science database by searching two keywords “sports mental toughness” and “sports self-esteem.” The obtained data was then visualized through VosViewer 1.6.20. The study was conducted from 1991 to 2025. Results. The result showed that there were 2071 and 526 publications on sports self-esteem and sports mental toughness, respectively. The publications were increased with time for both the keywords, indicating growing research interest in particular topics. Conclusions. In order to enhance sports performance in relation to mental toughness and self-esteem, more research should be done nationally, to meet the gap of research study like contant specific understanding, each other influences, and understanding of coach-athletes relationship.

With the increasing competition in elite sports, pre-competition anxiety has become increasingly prevalent among high-level competitive athletes, and high levels of such anxiety may impair sports performance and threaten athletes’ psychological health. Traditional psychological interventions (e.g., cognitive-behavioral therapy) are often poorly accepted and costly; however, pre-competition anxiety in these athletes may be alleviated through multiple pathways of traditional mind–body exercises like Tai Chi. Yet, the psychological mechanism by which mind–body exercises such as Tai Chi training influence pre-competition anxiety remains insufficiently explored, particularly the chain-mediating effect of the “flow experience → mental toughness” pathway. This study thus aimed to investigate the impact of Tai Chi training on pre-competition anxiety in high-level competitive athletes and verify the chain-mediating role of the “flow experience → mental toughness” pathway, thereby providing a theoretical basis and practical reference for sports psychology interventions. Using a randomized controlled experimental design, 86 high-level competitive athletes were randomly divided into an experimental group (n = 43) and a control group (n = 43). The experimental group received standardized Tai Chi training for 8 weeks, while the control group maintained their regular training regimen. Data were collected at baseline, week 4, and week 8 of the intervention using the Competition State Anxiety Inventory-2 (CSAI-2), Flow State Scale-2 (FSS-2), and Sport Mental Toughness Questionnaire (SMTQ), and chain-mediating effects were tested via hierarchical regression analysis and the bootstrap method with 5000 resamples. The results indicated that Tai Chi training could reduce pre-competition anxiety levels (β = −0.30, p < 0.5), and both flow experience (β = 0.38, p < 0.5) and mental toughness (β = 0.21, p < 0.5) exerted significant mediating effects. The chain mediation model further revealed that Tai Chi training alleviated pre-competition anxiety by enhancing flow experience and improving mental toughness sequentially (β = 0.01, 95% CI [0.00, 0.03]), accounting for 78.9% of the total mediated effect. In conclusion, Tai Chi training is associated with reduced pre-competition anxiety in high-level competitive athletes, and this relationship is statistically mediated by the sequential pathway of flow experience and mental toughness. These findings offer a new theoretical basis and practical direction for mind–body interventions in sports psychology. It should be noted that future research could further optimize and refine the intervention protocol, and explore the underlying mechanism of mind–body interventions at the neurobiological level.

This study investigated athletes’ social (self-sacrifice, teamwork, perseverance, work ethic, mental toughness, loyalty) and moral (fairness, honesty, respect, compassion, responsibility, justice) character. The Rudd–Stoll–Beller–Hahm Value-judgment Inventory (RSBH) was administered to college athletes at a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II university, determining relationships between the social and moral scores and comparing male and female collegiate athletes who played different sports. The athletes exhibited higher social than moral character. Athletes in different sports showed a statistically significant difference in moral but not social character. Sports teams’ character education should target moral and social behavior both outside and inside the sport venue.

Athlete burnout poses a significant threat to both wellbeing and performance. Mental toughness is recognized as a key protective factor. However, the mechanisms underlying its relationship with burnout remain insufficiently understood. The present study aimed to examine whether positive mental attitude-a component of health-related behaviours-mediates the relationship between mental toughness and athlete burnout. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 456 athletes aged 18-30 years. The following Polish-adapted instruments were employed: the Sports Mental Toughness Questionnaire (SMTQ-P), the Health Behavior Inventory (IZZ)-Positive Mental Attitude subscale, and the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ). Mediation analyses were performed using bootstrapping (5000 samples) to test the indirect effects of mental toughness (total score and subscales) on burnout (total and subscale scores) via positive mental attitude. Positive mental attitude significantly mediated the relationship between overall mental toughness and total burnout. At the level of mental toughness subscales, mediation effects were observed for self-confidence and effectiveness in predicting emotional and physical exhaustion and reduced sense of accomplishment. In contrast, emotional control and task execution showed no significant indirect effects through positive mental attitude. No mediation was found for sport devaluation. Positive mental attitude partially explains the relationship between mental toughness and lower levels of burnout-particularly in the domains of emotional and physical exhaustion and reduced sense of accomplishment. Preventive and educational programs should focus on simultaneously enhancing key components of mental toughness (e.g., self-confidence, effectiveness) and fostering a positive mental attitude to support athletes' psychological resilience and long-term engagement in sport.

Developing and Evaluating the “MTSC-PS” Module to Promote Mental Toughness and Sport Courage among Football Players in Secondary Schools

Objectives: This study investigates empathy levels among the public safety personnel and their relationship with current selection indicators (morphological, neuromuscular, and psychological characteristics), highlighting the importance of the topic and its potential for further research. Methods: The research was conducted on a sample of 136 police and national security students. The cross-sectional design was applied. Empathy was assessed with the Interpersonal Reactivity Index. Basic morphological characteristics were measured with a portable stadiometer and the InBody 720 device. Neuromuscular characteristics were measured using a handgrip strength test with a sliding device that measures isometric finger flexor force. Psychological characteristics were assessed using the Big Five Plus Two, the Mental Toughness Index, and the Dark Triad Dirty Dozen questionnaires. Results: Numerous significant differences between female and male participants, as well as gender-specific correlation patterns, were revealed. Female participants expressed more fantasy (3.23 ± 1.05), empathic concern (3.71 ± 0.75), and personal distress (1.76 ± 0.67) than males (2.84 ± 0.84; 3.37 ± 0.71; 1.5 ± 0.53). Among them, negative correlations of psychological distress with conscientiousness (ρ = −0.66) and mental toughness (ρ = −0.59) stand out. Conclusions: This study indicates the possible existence of correlations between empathy, neuromuscular, morphological, and psychological characteristics in public safety personnel of both genders, with gender-specific patterns. Results indicate opportunities for further research aimed at improving the efficiency of the existing selection system.

Esports, mental toughness, & resilience: Psychological predictors of performance may fall short.

Background Mental toughness (MT) is a critical psychological construct in competitive sports, yet its relationship with physical fitness (PF) remains underexplored, particularly in adolescent athletes. Aim The main purpose of the study was to examine the associations between MT and different components of PF. Subjects and methods We recruited 114 children and adolescents (14.3 ± 0.9 years; 73.7% girls), who were active ballet dancers and competed at national level. MT was assessed using the Sport Mental Toughness Questionnaire. Components of PF included: the 20-m shuttle run test (cardiorespiratory fitness; CRF), the 2-kg medicine ball throw and the countermovement jump (muscular fitness; MF), the sit-and-reach test (flexibility) and fat mass percentage (body composition). Results Subscales and overall MT were positively correlated with CRF (r = 0.69–0.71, p < 0.001), MF (r = 0.63–0.79, p < 0.001) and flexibility (r = 0.52–0.71, p < 0.001), yet an inverse correlation with fat mass percentage (r = −0.59 - −0.58, p < 0.001) was observed. Boys exhibited higher MT and PF values, compared to girls, except for flexibility. Conclusion These findings suggest that improving PF may enhance MT, offering potential strategies for training young athletes.

The lack of Filipino sports psychology research and experts underscores the need for this study. This study aims to explore the champion mindsets of elite Filipino athletes by examining the psychological attributes and motivational factors that drive their success. It explores the mental strategies, resilience, and determination shaping athletic excellence, offering insights into their success. Using an exploratory qualitative design, the study analyzed motivational statements drawn from 30 documented sources featuring world-class Filipino athletes. Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis was employed to identify recurring patterns across the dataset. The analysis revealed five essential themes: inner strength and resilience, external support and motivation, skill and strategy, dedication and effort, and continuous growth and success. Within inner strength and resilience, four major sub-themes surfaced: resilience and perseverance, mental toughness and preparation, self-belief and confidence, and faith and spirituality. External support and motivation encompassed two core ideas: motivation and support, and national pride and patriotism. Skill and strategy provided two significant concepts: tactical thinking technique and athletic discipline. Dedication and effort stood alone as a single theme. Continuous growth and success were clustered into two themes: growth and improvement, and success and achievement. This study highlights the pivotal roles of psychological qualities and external stimuli, equipping coaches, trainers, sports psychologists, and athletes with a comprehensive framework for enhancing athletic performance and well-being.

The sport of wrestling requires a combination of strong physique, good technique, and mental toughness, making it one of the most challenging sports. This study uses a narrative qualitative approach with an autobiographical study method. This study focuses on one main subject, namely the author herself, Rizma Ayu Putri Pamungkas, a national wrestling athlete and student of the Faculty of Sports Science, State University of Malang. The research design used is narrative-descriptive, namely the chronology of life experiences, interviews with informants, document observation, thematic coding, reflection and interpretation. Research results. shows that experience as an athlete not only shapes achievement, but also forms a strong, disciplined, and responsible character. Interpretation of the narrative shows a strong relationship between a structured training system, social support, and ongoing personal development. Athletes are not only judged by medals, but also by their ability to manage stress, injuries, and social and academic pressures. This study shows that achievement in wrestling, especially by female athletes, is the result of synergy between structured physical training, strong social support, and formal education that supports the cognitive development and character of athletes. Further research is recommended to include more subjects from various backgrounds to expand the generalizability of the findings.

Coach athlete relational quality plays a pivotal role in adolescent athlete development, yet few studies have examined its association with mental toughness through the lens of coach gender in non-Western contexts. This study explored whether relational quality statistically mediates the link between coach gender and mental toughness in adolescent female basketball players in Turkey, using a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design grounded in Self-Determination Theory and Social Role Theory. A total of 366 female adolescent basketball players (aged 12-18) from 22 teams completed validated Turkish versions of the Sports Mental Toughness Questionnaire-Youth (SMTQ-Y) and the Coach-Athlete Relationship Questionnaire-Child (CART-Q-C). Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis confirmed scalar measurement invariance across coach gender and age groups. Quantitative analyses employed Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression with cluster-robust standard errors to account for team-level nesting. A subsample of 24 athletes participated in semi-structured interviews, thematically analysed to contextualize statistical patterns. Female-coached athletes reported significantly higher mental toughness and relational quality (Cohen's d = 0.59-0.64). Regression analyses revealed that relational quality was the strongest predictor of mental toughness (β = 0.51, p < .001). Mediation analysis confirmed that relational quality statistically mediated the association between coach gender and mental toughness (indirect effect B = 0.216, 95% CI [0.121, 0.311]). Qualitative findings identified three mechanisms, relational empowerment, gender-congruent role modelling, and emotional atonement, that helped explain this mediation. The findings suggest that female coaches are statistically associated with enhanced relational environments, which in turn appear to co-occur with greater mental toughness in adolescent female athletes. These patterns underscore the need for culturally sensitive coach education programs that emphasize relational competence and support female leadership in youth sport systems.

BackgroundEsports has gained recognition as an official sport by multiple countries and organizations, featuring in international events like the Asian Games. Despite its growing prominence as a competitive sport, research on esports performance remains limited. Recent studies suggest that physical exercise, particularly high-intensity interval training (HIIT), can enhance cognitive functions and gaming performance. However, these studies have primarily focused on immediate or warm-up effects, leaving a gap in understanding the longer-term impact of such training interventions on esports performance.ResultsThis study investigates the effects of a six-week HIIT program on esports performance in first-person shooter (FPS) gamers. Healthy adult FPS gamers aged 18–29 were recruited through various platforms and randomly assigned to either an intervention group, which participated in a six-week HIIT program, or a control group. A total of 83 participants completed the study. The intervention group demonstrated significant improvements in key FPS skills, including flicking, tracking, decision-making, reaction time, and shooting accuracy. Additionally, the HIIT program enhanced VO2max and sleep quality, with a moderate correlation observed between changes in VO2max and reaction time over the six-week period. However, no significant enhancements were observed in mental toughness and self-regulation.ConclusionA six-week HIIT program can improve gaming performance and overall well-being in esports players. Future research should explore the neurophysiological mechanisms behind these benefits and evaluate other physical training modalities. This study provides insights into how exercise can optimize esports performance and support a balanced lifestyle for gamers.Trial Registration ChiCTR2400083252 (Chinese Clinical Trial Registry).

Objective: To find out the application effect of action-experiential psycho wellness education in the perioperative period of intracranial tumor resection and to assess its impact on patients’ psychological state, mental toughness, quality of life, complication rate, and nursing satisfaction. Methods: By using a risk-controlled trial design, 117 cases of intracranial tumor resection underwent from January 2021 to November 2024, admitted to the neurosurgery department of a hospital were selected and randomly divided into two groups: the reference (n = 59) and the observatory (n = 58) groups. The routine nursing intervention was accepted in the comparison arm, and action-experiential mental health education was added on this basis in the comparison arm. Observe and compare the patients’ psychological state, mental toughness, and their changes in living quality, as well as compare the complication rate and nursing satisfaction of the two groups. Results: Following the innovation, the SAS and SDS ratings of the observation team were less important than those of the control team (p &lt; 0.05), the CD-RISC mark was significantly enhanced (p &lt; 0.05), and the SF-36 was significantly improved (p &lt; 0.05). The incidence of postoperative complications in the observation group (6.77%) was significantly lower than that in the control group (22.41%) (p &lt; 0.05), and nursing satisfaction (91.38%) was significantly higher than that in the control group (74.58%) (p &lt; 0.05). Conclusion: Behavioral experiential mental health education effectively enhances psychological well-being and resilience, improves quality of life, reduces postoperative complications, and boosts nursing satisfaction among intracranial tumor patients during the perioperative period, highlighting its significant clinical utility.

Purpose: This study was motivated by the importance of the role of psychological aspects, especially mental toughness, in supporting athletes' abilities when facing anxiety in a match. Materials and Methods: This study used a meta-analysis method. The search used the Publish and Publish application, with Google Scholar as the database. Literature searches from various sources used the keywords: "Mental Toughness", "Athlete Anxiety", "Competitive Anxiety", "Performance Anxiety", and "Sports Psychology". Five hundred eighteen articles were obtained, which were then filtered based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, and 23 articles were analyzed. Result: The results of the analysis show a negative relationship in the moderate category between mental toughness and competitive anxiety, with rRE = -0.320 (z = -3.030; p &lt; 0.002; 95% CI: -0.113 to -0.528). Egger's test showed no publication bias (p = 0.748 &gt; 0.05). Conclusion: These findings suggest that increased mental toughness is negatively associated with athletes' levels of competitive anxiety. In other words, the higher an athlete's level of mental toughness, the lower their anåxiety levels during competition. This research suggests that coaches and sports psychologists are crucial to integrating psychological practices, such as goal setting, positive self-talk, and imagery, into athletes' training programs. This approach can help improve mental toughness and reduce athletes' anxiety during competition.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is one of the latest strategies used to improve the performance of elite athletes. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of short- and long-term unihemispheric concurrent dual-site anodal tDCS of the primary motor cortex (M1) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) on swimming performance and maximal strength (1-RM), as well as physiological (blood lactate levels- BL and heart rate- HR), cognitive (reaction times- RTs and distance of perceived fatigue- DPF) and psychological (mental toughness- MT) variables. Nineteen elite male swimmers participated in a randomized and sham-controlled study over 25 days. Freestyle swimming (100 m) test times were recorded in the morning and evening as pre-intervention tests of swimming performance. The swimmers then received acute and multi-session tDCS (2 mA for 20 min; once daily; 3 days per week) in addition to their routine training. Two days after the 10th tDCS session, the participants repeated the swimming performance tests (morning and evening). In addition, 1-RM, RT and MT were assessed as pre-post intervention tests in a rested state the day before and after the swimming tests. After 10 sessions of tDCS, morning and evening swimming performance improved (p < 0.05) and evening BL and DPF, and MT scores were higher than pre-intervention values compared with sham. Mean and best RTs decreased (p < 0.05) in tDCS compared with sham. No significant differences were found for HR and 1-RM scores. We conclude that multi-session tDCS, but not single session, improves swimming performance more than sham-treatment, as well as affects physiological, psychological, and cognitive function variables.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-025-27803-2.

The emotional well-being and relationship success of Gen Z may depend on the quality of their attachments, which are shaped by social experiences. The aim of this research is to examine the relationship between societal expectations, mental toughness and emotional volatility in Gen-Z. Correlational research design was used and purposive sampling strategy was implied to collect data from representative sample of Gen-z (males=32.0%, females=68.0%). Standardized assessment measures along with demographic Performa was used to collect data from respondents. Findings show that there exists a positive correlation between societal expectations and emotional volatility. It is worth noting that mental toughness proved to be major mediator, and it is possible to think that people high in mental strength might find it easier to address challenges that students can perform in response to societal pressures. The findings are consistent with prior literature on resilience and emotional volatility providing the contribution to the past research as they highlight the role of mental toughness to reduce negative emotional consequences. This study will be helpful in future research to further investigate these relationships within different demographic groups and other situations.

This study explores how mental toughness contributes to the psychological sustainability of athletes by enhancing emotional regulation and psychological resilience, ultimately fostering self-efficacy, particularly in environments supported by autonomy-supportive coaching. The study examines mental toughness (MT), a dispositional resource for goal-focused persistence under pressure, and its effects on performance self-efficacy (PSE) through the mediating roles of emotional regulation (ER) and psychological resilience (PR), with autonomy-supportive coaching (ASC) as a contextual moderator. University athletes in China face intense dual academic-athletic demands within a collectivist culture that may suppress autonomy and undermine self-efficacy, yet little research addresses how psychological and coaching factors jointly shape their confidence. Using purposive sampling, we recruited 581 active university athletes across China who met the eligibility criteria: (1) currently enrolled as a university student, and (2) actively participating in organized sports for at least one year. Participants completed validated scales measuring the target constructs. We analyzed the data through structural equation modeling (SEM) in Smart PLS. Results reveal that MT positively affects ER and PR, which in turn significantly enhance PSE. Both ER and PR mediate the relationship between MT and PSE, while ASC strengthens the positive effects of MT on ER and PR. Theoretically, the study highlights the role of internal psychological resources and supportive environments in sustaining athlete development over time, offering a framework that bridges sport psychology with broader concepts of personal and developmental sustainability. The study provides practical guidance for coaches aiming to foster mental toughness and psychological skills to improve athletes' confidence and psychological resilience.

Mental toughness is recognized as a critical psychological attribute that enables athletes to cope effectively with pressure, maintain focus, and persist through challenges. The psychological and sociocultural factors contribute to the development and sustenance of mental toughness. In this context, motivational religiosity, conceptualized as the use of religious beliefs and practices as a source of confidence and personal strength, is considered a potential influential factor, particularly among athletes facing the demands of competitive sport. This study investigates the relationship between motivational religiosity (MR) and mental toughness (MT) in competitive athletes, with an attention to the moderating roles of sports experience and education level, as well as the mediating roles of athletic identity (AI) and self-efficacy (SE). A total of 420 athletes (Mage= 21.26; SD=7.74) from diverse sporting disciplines participated in this quantitative cross-sectional study. Statistical analyses were conducted using PROCESS Macro for SPSS. Using double moderation analysis, the results indicated that MR was a significant positive predictor of MT. However, the strength of this relationship was moderated by both sport experience and educational attainment; notably, the association was weaker among athletes with greater experience and higher levels of education. Furthermore, a parallel multiple mediation analysis revealed that both AI and SE mediated the MR–MT relationship, with SE emerging as the stronger mediator. These findings suggest that MR may bolster MT by reinforcing athletic identity and perceived competence. The study contributes to the literature on the psychology of religion in sport by highlighting the interplay between contextual factors and psychological mechanisms that shape how religiosity influences athlete resilience. Future research should examine how motivational religiosity interacts with other psychological traits and investigate longitudinally whether faith-based interventions may actively contribute to the development of mental toughness over time.