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Mental Toughness and Recovery in AthletesTM

The document examines the relationship between mental toughness and stress-recovery imbalance in athletes. It found that several attributes of mental toughness, such as positivity and task familiarity, were positively associated with an athlete's capacity for recovery. This suggests that psychological skills training to enhance mental toughness could help elite athletes manage stress-recovery imbalance during intensive training and competition periods.

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45 views1 page

Mental Toughness and Recovery in AthletesTM

The document examines the relationship between mental toughness and stress-recovery imbalance in athletes. It found that several attributes of mental toughness, such as positivity and task familiarity, were positively associated with an athlete's capacity for recovery. This suggests that psychological skills training to enhance mental toughness could help elite athletes manage stress-recovery imbalance during intensive training and competition periods.

Uploaded by

steph
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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MENTAL TOUGHNESS AND RECOVERY

IN ATHLETES
STEPHANIE TIBBERT, TONY MORRIS, AND MARK B. ANDERSEN
CENTRE FOR AGEING, REHABILITATION, EXERCISE & SPORT (CARES)
SCHOOL OF HUMAN MOVEMENT, RECREATION & PERFORMANCE
VICTORIA UNIVERSITY
AUSTRALIA
PURPOSE
A key concern in elite sport is overtraining; physiological, psychological, and performance decrements associated with training too intensively
(Richardson, Andersen, & Morris, 2008) now conceptualized in terms of stress-recovery imbalance (SRI).
Mental toughness (MT), the capacity to cope with adversity in training and competition, has recently been systematically addressed in sport
through interviews with elite athletes (Jones et al., 2002). Jones et al. found 12 attributes related to self-belief; desire and motivation; focus,
performance-related and lifestyle-related; dealing with competition related pressure (external); and anxiety (internal); and dealing with physical
and emotional pain. Aim: to examine the relationship between mental toughness and SRI.

METHOD
Participants
Male elite athletes (N=109) from a variety of sports in Australia 16 to 34 years of age, (M=21.5; SD=4.06).
Measures
Middleton et al. (2005) developed the Mental Toughness Inventory (MTI), based on 12 attributes emerging from their qualitative research. The
MTI is a 36-item questionnaire that measures 12 attributes of MT.
Kellman & Kallus (2001) developed a measure of SRI, Recovery-Stress Questionnaire for Athletes (RESTQ-Sport). The RESTQ-SPORT is a 52-
item questionnaire that measures general stress, general recovery, sport-specific stress, and sport-specific recovery across 19 subscales.
Procedure
Athletes completed the MTI and the RESTQ-SPORT prior to training after a competitive match or performance (RESTQ-SPORT1). They
completed the RESTQ-SPORT again prior to training, four to six weeks later, when they had not been involved in competitive sport the previous
week (RESTQ-SPORT2). We subtracted RESTQ-SPORT2 from RESTQ-SPORT1 to produce SRI recovery scores for all 19 subscales (SRI-Rec).
The 12 MTI subscale scores were correlated with the 19 SRI-Rec scores.

RESULTS
Mean SRI-Rec scores on 16 out of 19 subscales had positive changes, indicating that the sample reported reduced stress and increased
recovery after a week with no competitive performance.
Correlations between MTI subscale scores and SRI-Rec scores identified several relationships between attributes of mental toughness and
capacity to recover. The correlation between Positive Comparisons and Success was unexpected, an increase in coping with adversity was
associated with a reduction in feelings of pleasure and success in your career. The strongest correlations were seen in Table 1.
Table 1. Correlations between MTI and SRI-Rec.
CONCLUSIONS
Mental Toughness SRI-Rec  In this study, we found that 7 attributes of MT were positively
Attribute Stress scale Recovery Scale associated with the capacity to benefit from recovery time and
Positivity General stress (-0.36)** Fitness/in shape (0.36)** to perceive a non-competition period as less stressful.
Lack of Energy (-0.30)* Self-efficacy (0.33)** Most RESTQ-Sport benefits were seen in the sport specific
Burnout/accomplishment
recovery subscales. With replication, these findings suggest
(0.30)*
Task Familiarity Self efficacy (0.43)** that psychological skills training to enhance aspects of MT
Fitness/in shape (0.30)* could help elite athletes manage SRI during intensive periods of
Self regulation (0.28)* training and competition.

Positive Comparisons Lack of Energy (-0.34)** Success (-0.29)* References


Jones, G., Hanton, S., & Connaughton, D. (2002). What is this thing called mental toughness?
An investigation of elite sport performers. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 14, 205-218.
Goal Commitment Disturbed Breaks (-0.31)* Kellman, M. & Kallus, K.W. (2001). Recovery-Stress Questionnaire for Athletes: User Manual.
Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Kentta, G., & Hassmen, P. (2002). Under-recovery and overtraining: A conceptual model. In M.
Stress minimisation Emotional stress (-0.29)* Kellman (Ed), Enhancing recovery: Preventing underperformance in athletes (pp. 57-80).
Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics
Mental self-concept Self-efficacy (0.30)* Middleton, C., Marsh, H.W., Martin, A.J., Richards, G.E & Perry, C. (2005). Developing a test
for mental toughness. AARE Conference, Sydney.
Richardson, S., Andersen, M. B., & Morris, T. (2008). Overtraining Athletes: Personal
Self-efficacy Self-efficacy (0.33)** Journeys in Sport. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Note. *p < .01. **p < .001.

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