COMPARISON OF MENTAL TOUGHNESS IN YOUTH ATHLETES: DIFFERENCES ACROSS GENDER, SPORT PARTICIPATION GOALS, AND SPORT TYPES
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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to compare the mental toughness of youth athletes between genders, sport participation goals, and sport types. The subjects were 172 athletes (male = 89, female = 83) in northeastern Thailand, ranging in age from 10 to 18 years. Data were collected using a mental toughness questionnaire, validated for content by subject matter experts, and demonstrating acceptable reliability. Data were analyzed in terms of descriptive statistics. The independent sample t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Scheffe's method were also applied to test the significant differences at the .05 level. The results were as follows: Overall, the mental toughness levels of the athletes who participated were at a high level for all aspects. However, it was at a moderate level except for stress minimization. There was no significant difference in mental toughness between men and women athletes. Similarly, no significant differences were observed between athletes with outcome goals and athletes with performance goals. In addition, there were significant differences in mental toughness between combat sports athletes, racing sports athletes, racket sports athletes, and accuracy sports athletes (p < 0.05). The mental toughness levels for combat sports athletes were higher than racing sports athletes in mental self-concept, potential, task familiarity, personal bests, task value, and goal commitment. Furthermore, the mental toughness levels for racing sports athletes were lower than racket sports athletes in potential, task-specific attention, personal bests, task value, goal commitment, positive thinking, stress minimization, and positive comparisons. Additionally, the mental toughness levels for racing sports athletes were lower than accurate sports athletes in potential. The results showed the importance of designing mental toughness enhancement programs that align with athletes’ gender, sport participation goals, and sport types. Such interventions are essential for fostering sustainable psychological growth and improving performance potential among youth athletes.
Article Details
เนื้อหาและข้อมูลในบทความที่ลงตีพิมพ์ในวารสารวิทยาศาสตร์การกีฬาและนวัตกรรมสุขภาพ กลุ่มมหาวิทยาลัยราชภัฏแห่งประเทศไทย ถือเป็นข้อคิดเห็นและความรับผิดชอบของผู้เขียนบทความโดยตรงซึ่งกองบรรณาธิการวารสาร ไม่จำเป็นต้องเห็นด้วย หรือร่วมรับผิดชอบใด ๆ
บทความ ข้อมูล เนื้อหา รูปภาพ ฯลฯ ที่ได้รับการตีพิมพ์ในวารสารวิทยาศาสตร์การกีฬาและนวัตกรรมสุขภาพ กลุ่มมหาวิทยาลัยราชภัฏแห่งประเทศไทย ถือเป็นลิขสิทธิ์ของคณะวิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี มหาวิทยาลัยราชภัฏศรีสะเกษ หากบุคคลหรือหน่วยงานใดต้องการนำทั้งหมดหรือส่วนหนึ่งส่วนใดไปเผยแพร่ต่อหรือเพื่อกระทำการใด จะต้องได้รับอนุญาตเป็นลายลักษณ์อักษรจากวารสารวิทยาศาสตร์การกีฬาและนวัตกรรมสุขภาพ กลุ่มมหาวิทยาลัยราชภัฏแห่งประเทศไทย ก่อนเท่านั้น
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