International Journal of Physical Education, Sports and Health 2025; 12(3): 235-239

P-ISSN: 2394-1685
E-ISSN: 2394-1693 Mental toughness among student-athletes: A gender-
Impact Factor (RJIF): 5.93
IJPESH 2025; 12(3): 235-239 based comparative study
© 2025 IJPESH
[Link]
Received: 07-03-2025 Shubhangi Kumari and Reeta Chauhan
Accepted: 15-04-2025

Shubhangi Kumari DOI: [Link]

Research Scholar, Department of
Psychology, L.N. Mithila Abstract
University, Darbhanga, Bihar, Mental toughness is a critical psychological trait that significantly impacts the well-being and
India performance of student-athletes. It encompasses coping with stress, maintaining focus, and performing
under pressure, which are essential for success in competitive sports. This study examines gender-based
Dr. Reeta Chauhan differences in mental toughness among student-athletes, focusing on three key dimensions: confidence,
Assistant Professor, Department constancy, and control. The sample consisted of 84 student-athletes (n1=42 males and n2=42 females),
of Psychology, Samastipur aged between 15 and 28 years, representing cricket, kabaddi, and handball. Data were collected using the
College, Samastipur, Bihar, India Sport Mental Toughness Questionnaire (SMTQ-14 items by Sheard et al., 2009), and independent
samples t-tests were performed to assess gender differences across subscales and total scores. The results
indicated that female athletes scored significantly higher than males in the confidence and constancy
dimensions, as well as on overall mental toughness. No significant gender difference was found in the
control dimension. These findings suggest that female student-athletes in this sample may exhibit greater
psychological resilience and consistency under competitive conditions. The study highlights the
importance of considering gender-specific psychological profiles in sports training and performance
enhancement. Implications for coaching practices, athlete development, and mental skills training
programs are discussed.

Keywords: Confidence, constancy, control, mental toughness, student-athletes

1. Introduction
In the highly competitive realm of sports, psychological attributes such as mental toughness
have emerged as crucial determinants of athletic success. Mental toughness represents an
individual's competence to consistently operate at the advanced strata of their intrinsic talents
and skills (Jones, Hanton & Connaughton, 2007) [16]. Mental toughness is defined as
possessing an inherent or nurtured psychological control that allows an individual to handle
efficiently, in comparison to opponents, the various challenges (competition, training,
lifestyle) that athletic endeavours entail for a performer. More specifically, it involves the
competence to show increased consistency and dominance over opponents in preserving
determination, focus, confidence, and composure amidst adversity (Jones, Hanton &
Connaughton, 2002; p. 209) [15]. It is an umbrella term. It reveals the tendency of performers to
succeed in pressure situations, to overcome obstacles rapidly, and to maintain a high level of
functioning in the face of continuous challenges (Gucciardi, Hanton, & Mallett, 2012) [13].
Mental toughness consists of confidence, constancy, and control. Confidence is an athlete’s
belief in their abilities to achieve goals and be better than others. Constancy reflects
determination, individual responsibility, an unyielding attitude, and the ability to concentrate.
The control is concerned with the perception that one is personally influential and can bring
about desired outcomes with particular reference to controlling emotions.
While physical training remains essential, it is increasingly recognized that psychological
resilience distinguishes elite performers from their peers. Among the psychological constructs
studied in sport psychology, mental toughness has received considerable attention for its role
in enhancing coping strategies, motivation, and overall performance (Gucciardi, Gordon &
Corresponding Author: Dimmock, 2008b) [11]. It enables athletes to maintain focus, manage pressure, and recover from
Dr. Reeta Chauhan setbacks effectively (Clough, Earle, & Sewell, 2002) [5]. Mental toughness includes stress
Assistant Professor, Department management, perseverance, resilience, and focus, which significantly improve the performance
of Psychology, Samastipur and resilience of athletes when subjected to competitive stressors. (Connaughton, Hanton, &
College, Samastipur, Bihar, India
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Jones, 2010; Gucciardi, Gordon, & Dimmock, 2008a; Jones & H1: There would be a significant difference in overall sports
Harwood, 2008) [6, 10, 17]. Mental toughness is not solely a mental toughness scores between male and female student-
fixed trait but is shaped by the individual's environment, athletes.
experiences, and social context, including gender roles H2: There would be a significant difference in confidence,
(Gucciardi, Mahoney, Jalleh, Donovan & Parkes, 2012) [12]. constancy, and control subdomains between male and female
In a meta-analysis of mental toughness across athletic student-athletes.
populations, a study reported that gender differences, while
present, often diminish when controlling for sport type and 2. Methodology
competitive level. There were many studies often find males 2.1 Participants
scoring higher on Confidence and Control (Ahsan, 2015; A total of N=84 student-athletes were involved in this
Andrews & Chen, 2014; Budnik-Przybylska, Przybylski & research endeavour, comprising n1=42 males and n2=42
Karasiewicz, 2025; Nicholls, Polman, Levy & Backhouse, females. All participants were actively participating in
2009) [1, 2, 4, 20] possibly due to socialization that encourages competitive sports at the collegiate level. The criteria for
males to exhibit dominance and emotional restraint in inclusion encompassed all individuals currently enrolled in a
competitive settings. However, findings on Constancy and post-secondary educational institution who have undertaken
overall mental toughness are less consistent, with some athletic activities for a minimum duration of five years.
studies (Gumusdag, 2023) [14] reporting no significant gender Athletes who are not registered in any post-secondary
differences. educational institution and who do not engage in regular
Observed gender differences in mental toughness may be competitive sports were subject to the exclusion criteria.
overstated without accounting for confounding variables such
as training intensity and sport demands. 2.2 Measures
(Cowden, 2016) [7]. Another study on elite Australian athletes To evaluate the demographic attributes of the sample, a
found no significant gender differences in global mental demographic profile was incorporated into the questionnaire,
toughness scores, suggesting that performance context may comprising a specific measure pertinent to the variable under
override gender-based psychological traits. They concluded investigation.
that mental toughness may not be inherently gendered, The Sport Mental Toughness Questionnaire (SMTQ),
instead, differences reflect variation in personal experience developed by Sheard, Golby, and van Wersch (2009) [21], is a
and situational pressures (Mahoney, Gucciardi, Ntoumanis & psychometrically validated instrument designed to assess
Mallett, 2014) [19]. Investigated mental toughness in mental toughness in athletic populations. The scale consists of
adolescents and found that female athletes often exhibited 14 items, distributed across three subscales: Confidence (6
higher emotional control, a key dimension of psychological items), Constancy (4 items), and Control (4 items).
endurance. While males displayed higher confidence scores, Respondents rate each item on a 4-point Likert scale ranging
females excelled in emotional control and consistency from 1 (not at all true) to 4 (very true).
(Gerber, Kalak & Lemola, Clough, Puhse, Elliot, Holsboer- The SMTQ has demonstrated acceptable internal consistency
Trachsler & Brand, 2012) [9]. across its total scale and subscales. Sheard et al. (2009) [21]
However, despite growing interest, the influence of gender on reported a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.81 for the total
mental toughness remains under-explored and contested. scale, indicating good overall reliability. The internal
Some studies suggest that male athletes may exhibit higher consistency of the subscales was also satisfactory, with alpha
levels of toughness due to sociocultural norms emphasizing values of 0.80 for Confidence, 0.74 for Constancy, and 0.71
stoicism and dominance (B Solomon, 2015; Mack, 2025; for Control.
Nicholls et al., 2009) [3, 18, 20], whereas others highlight that The SMTQ has also shown robust construct and concurrent
female athletes may develop superior emotional regulation validity. Construct validity was established through
and cognitive flexibility, particularly in team-based exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, which
environments (Weinberg, Freysinger, Mellano & Brookhouse, supported the three-factor structure corresponding to the
2016) [23]. theoretical model of mental toughness (Sheard et al., 2009).
This study seeks to investigate the gender-based differences in The scale’s concurrent validity was demonstrated through
mental toughness among student-athletes, with a specific positive correlations with other established psychological
focus on three key dimensions: confidence, constancy, and constructs relevant to athletic performance, such as self-
control. By analyzing mental toughness profiles of male and confidence, coping strategies, and performance resilience
female athletes across different sports, the research aims to (Nicholls et al., 2009) [20]. Further supporting its external
contribute to a nuanced understanding of psychological validity, the SMTQ has been used in a variety of cultural
preparedness in sport and inform gender-sensitive coaching contexts and across multiple levels of athletic participation,
practices. Given the increasing participation of women in
including youth, amateur, and elite sports. Studies such as
competitive sports and the evolving discourse around gender
those by Crust and Swann (2011) [8] have highlighted its
and psychological competencies, this comparative study holds
applicability across a broad spectrum of sporting disciplines,
both practical and theoretical significance. The scarcity of
thus affirming its generalizability.
SMTQ-based studies in India highlights a research gap,
particularly for student-athletes, where cultural and
2.3 Procedure
educational contexts may shape gender differences in mental
A total of one hundred participants (comprising fifty males
toughness. Understanding how mental toughness manifests
and fifty females) who met the predetermined inclusion
across genders not only aids performance optimization but
criteria were intentionally approached during intercollegiate
also contributes to inclusive and supportive athletic
or interuniversity athletic events. Initially, the participants
environments. This study aims to assess and compare the
were briefed regarding the purpose of the research, and
confidence, constancy, and control components and overall
subsequent to obtaining informed consent, they were educated
sports mental toughness between male and female student-
about the process of completing the questionnaire.
athletes. The following hypotheses have been formulated:
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3. Statistical analysis The study sample comprised 84 student-athletes, with an

Upon the collection of the responses, it was observed that equal distribution of males (n = 42, 50%) and females (n = 42,
several responses were deemed ineligible for inclusion in the 50%), ensuring gender parity. The age range of the
final analysis; thus, an equal number of participants (forty- participants spanned from 15 to 28 years, with a mean age of
two each) was systematically allocated to both male and 19.38 years, indicating a young adult cohort typical of
female groups. The mean, standard deviation, and t-test were collegiate athletic populations.
computed to fulfil the objectives of the study. Participants were drawn from three different sports
disciplines. The majority were associated with cricket (n = 51,
4. Results 60.71%), followed by kabaddi (n = 18, 21.43%), and handball
Table 1 displays the demographic characteristics of the (n = 15, 17.86%). This distribution reflects a diverse athletic
sample. background, with a significant proportion engaged in team-
based and competitive sports.
Table 1: Demographic characteristics of the sample
Demographic Variable n %
Table 2: Significance of difference between mean scores of males
Gender and females for confidence, constancy, control and overall sports
Male 42 50 mental toughness
Female 42 50 Measure Males (n=42) Females (n=42) ‘t’ values
15-28 years Confidence 16.31(4.41) 19.26(4.77) -2.95**
Age range
mean age=19.38 Constancy 11.81(2.97) 13.19(3.14) -2.07*
Game (Participants associated with) Control 9.83(2.72) 9.33(2.19) .93
Cricket 51 60.71 SMT_Total 37.95(5.41) 41.79(6.01) -3.07**
Kabaddi 18 21.43 Note. SMT_Total= overall sports mental toughness scores
Hand-ball 15 17.86 *p<0.05, **p<0.01
Note: The total sample size is N=84.

Fig 1: Mean score differences on various subdomains of competitive state anxiety

To examine gender-based differences in mental toughness sample, exhibit significantly greater confidence and
among student-athletes, an independent samples t-test was constancy, and demonstrate higher overall mental toughness
conducted comparing male and female participants across the than their male counterparts.
three sub-dimensions of mental toughness, confidence,
constancy, and control as well as the overall mental toughness Discussion
score. Descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations) The present study aimed to examine gender-based differences
and t-values are reported in Table 2. in mental toughness among student-athletes participating in
The results revealed a statistically significant difference in the various sports. These results provide valuable insight into the
confidence subscale (t= -2.95, p<.01) with female student- gendered expressions of mental toughness in the sporting
athletes (M=19.26, SD=4.77) scoring higher than their male context and contribute to the growing literature on
counterparts (M = 16.31, SD = 4.41). A significant difference psychological traits in athletes.
was also observed for constancy (t = -2.07, p<.05) where These findings are partially consistent with previous research.
females (M=13.19, SD=3.14) again outperformed males For instance, Gerber et al. (2013) [9] found that female athletes
(M=11.81, SD=2.97). However, no significant gender often exhibit superior emotional regulation and consistency
difference was found for the control subscale (t= 0.93, p>.05), under pressure qualities that align closely with the constancy
indicating comparable levels of emotional regulation between dimension of mental toughness observed in this study.
male (M=9.83, SD=2.72) and female athletes (M=9.33, Similarly, the higher confidence levels observed among
SD=2.19). In light of these findings, hypothesis two (H2) is females challenge traditional assumptions that male athletes
partially accepted. possess greater self-belief, suggesting a potential shift in the
Importantly, the overall mental toughness score was psychological profiles of contemporary female athletes. These
significantly higher (t=-3.07, p<.01) among female student- results also echo Mahoney et al. (2014) [19], who argued that
athletes (M=41.79, SD=6.01) compared to males (M=37.95, gender differences in mental toughness may diminish or
SD=5.41), hence, hypothesis one (H1) is accepted. reverse in competitive environments where both genders
These findings suggest that female student-athletes, in this receive equal access to coaching and competitive exposure.
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