Mental toughness, Hardiness and Athletic Burnout in University Athletes

Abstract

A correlational study was conducted to explore the relationship between mental toughness, hardiness, and athletic burnout in university athletes. It was hypothesized that 1) mental toughness and hardiness would be negatively related to athletic burnout in university athletes, and 2) Hardiness would moderate the relationship between mental toughness and athletic burnout in university athletes. The sample comprised 116 university athletes aged 17-27 years (M = 21.74, SD = 2.15) collected through a non-probability purposive sampling technique. Mental toughness Inventory (Gucciardi et al., 2009); Athletic Burnout Questionnaire (Raedeke & Smith, 2001), and Personal Views Survey III-R (PVSIII-R) (Maddi & Khoshaba, 2001) were used for assessment. Findings revealed that mental toughness and hardiness were negatively correlated with athletic burnout, suggesting that psychologically resilient athletes are less prone to burnout symptoms. Additionally, mental toughness was positively associated with hardiness. However, moderation analysis indicated that hardiness had a limited role in moderating the mental toughness–burnout relationships, with commitment and control showing specific interaction effects. These findings contribute to understanding psychological resilience in athletic performance and provide insights for burnout prevention strategies.