Effect of mental training programme in improving mental toughness and coping abilities among Tehran High School student athletes

Abstract

Mental strength is critical to the athlete’s performance especially in competition. Every coach and athlete will seriously work on mental strength to ensure the positive results are achieved in every competition participated. This study investigated the effect of Mental Training Program (MTP) on mental toughness and coping abilities among male and female high school student athletes. MTP was conducted to investigate how the training improved athletes’ mental strength in regards to toughness and coping abilities. The training program was developed based on Iranian culture and sports psychology theories. In this quantitative study, two questionnaires were used as instruments to collect data from control and experimental groups on two occasions – pre and post to measure the effect of the training. The tests were given before and after the MTP. Quasi experimental methodology was adopted to examine the effectiveness of mental training to mental toughness and coping abilities among two groups of 80 Iranian student athletes. Gender and type of sports were considered as independent variables whereas mental toughness and coping ability were dependent variables in the research. The Cronbach’s alpha index reported a satisfactory index. Statistical analysis indicated that the overall Mental Training was effective in improving mental toughness and coping abilities among Tehran high school student athletes. In other words it is concluded that MTP influences student athletes’ mental toughness and coping ability. It is recommended that any well-designed mental training programs should provide opportunities for athletes to improve their mental toughness and coping ability in preparation for competitions besides educating and training them to confront unpleasant circumstances and overcome obstacles.