TY - JOUR

T1 - The Mediating Role of Training Behaviors on Self-Reported Mental Toughness and Mentally Tough Behavior in Swimming

AU - Beattie, Stuart

AU - Alqallaf, Ahmad

AU - Hardy, Lew

AU - Ntoumanis, Nikos

N1 - © 2018, American Psychological Association. This paper is not the copy of record and may not exactly replicate the final, authoritative version of the article. Please do not copy or cite without authors permission. The final article will be available, upon publication, via its DOI.

PY - 2019/5

Y1 - 2019/5

N2 - Self-regulated training behaviours plays a vital role in athletes’ physical and mental sporting development. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the mediating role of self-regulated training behaviours (self and coach rated) on the relationship between self-reported Mental Toughness (MT) and coaches perceptions of swimmers Mentally Tough behaviour (MTb) in competition. A second purpose of the study was to examine how discrepancies in coach and athlete perceptions of training behaviours related to coach perceptions of swimmers MTb in competition. A sample of 12 swimming coaches (11 men and 1 women) and 208 of their competitive swimmers (86 men and 122 women) participated in the study. The swimmers completed self-report assessments of MT and self-regulated training behaviours. The coaches completed questionnaires regarding observations of their swimmers MTb in competition and a smaller pool of items from the athletes self-regulated training behaviours questionnaire. Findings supported our hypotheses that MT was positively related to self-regulated training behaviours (self and coach rated) and training behaviours was positively related to coach rated MTb. Further, self-regulated training behaviours (β = 0.12; CI = 0.05 – 0.20) and coach rated perceptions of training behaviours (β = 0.07; CI = 0.03 – 0.13) mediated the relationship between self-report MT and coach rated MTb in competition. Finally, a significant amount of variance in MTb was accounted for (23%) only when there was agreement between the coach and the athlete regarding the level of self-regulated training behaviours. We recommend that future research examines what specific types of training behaviours positively influence MT.

AB - Self-regulated training behaviours plays a vital role in athletes’ physical and mental sporting development. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the mediating role of self-regulated training behaviours (self and coach rated) on the relationship between self-reported Mental Toughness (MT) and coaches perceptions of swimmers Mentally Tough behaviour (MTb) in competition. A second purpose of the study was to examine how discrepancies in coach and athlete perceptions of training behaviours related to coach perceptions of swimmers MTb in competition. A sample of 12 swimming coaches (11 men and 1 women) and 208 of their competitive swimmers (86 men and 122 women) participated in the study. The swimmers completed self-report assessments of MT and self-regulated training behaviours. The coaches completed questionnaires regarding observations of their swimmers MTb in competition and a smaller pool of items from the athletes self-regulated training behaviours questionnaire. Findings supported our hypotheses that MT was positively related to self-regulated training behaviours (self and coach rated) and training behaviours was positively related to coach rated MTb. Further, self-regulated training behaviours (β = 0.12; CI = 0.05 – 0.20) and coach rated perceptions of training behaviours (β = 0.07; CI = 0.03 – 0.13) mediated the relationship between self-report MT and coach rated MTb in competition. Finally, a significant amount of variance in MTb was accounted for (23%) only when there was agreement between the coach and the athlete regarding the level of self-regulated training behaviours. We recommend that future research examines what specific types of training behaviours positively influence MT.

KW - training behaviors

KW - mental toughness

KW - swimming

KW - polynomial regression analysis

KW - discrepancies

U2 - 10.1037/spy0000146

DO - 10.1037/spy0000146

M3 - Article

VL - 8

SP - 179

EP - 191

JO - Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology

JF - Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology

SN - 2157-3905

IS - 2

ER -