TITLE:
The Effects of Psychological Skills Training on Mental Toughness and Psychological Well-Being of Student-Athletes
AUTHORS:
Jim Golby, Phillippa Wood
KEYWORDS:
Mental Toughness, Psychological Well-Being, Positive Psychology, Psychological Skills Training
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.7 No.6,
June
22,
2016
ABSTRACT: This study examined the effects of a
psychological skills intervention (PST) designed to enhance the mental
toughness and psychological well-being of student-athlete rowers (N = 16).
Within this context, PWB was conceptualized by an amalgamation of the following
psychological constructs; self-esteem, perceived self-efficacy, positive affect
and dispositional optimism. Progress was examined at three times evenly
dispersed over the course of the six-month intervention, pre-, mid- and
post-intervention. The intervention was solution-focused and informed by
Dweck’s (2009) theory of a growth mindset and Goldberg’s (1998) psychological
strategies to develop mental toughness. The study design was a 2 (group) × 3
(time) two-way MANOVA with repeated measures on one factor (time). Various
measures of mental toughness and positive psychological constructs were
utilised. Over the course of the intervention, MT significantly improved, in
addition to perceived self-efficacy, self-esteem and positive affect. Positive
significant relationships were observed between components of MT and each of
the positive measures; which lends support to the conceptualization of MT as a
positive psychological construct which fosters positive psychological states
(Clough & Strycharczyk, 2012). Further research is warranted to examine the
development of MT on negative psychological constructs.