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Published VersionCC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Esports, Mental Toughness, & Resilience: Psychological Predictors of Performance May Fall Short
Psychology of Sport and Exercise, Vol.82, pp.1-8
2026
PMID: 41203224
Appears in UniSC Supported Open Access Outputs
Abstract
This cross-sectional study examined whether mental toughness and resilience were associated with competitive achievement among 480 high-level esports players (M age = 22.88, SD = 3.94) across seven popular titles, including Multiplayer Online Battle Arena and First-Person Shooter games. Participants, drawn from the top 40% of competitive ranks, completed the Mental Toughness Questionnaire 18 and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale 10. Ordinal logistic regression was used to estimate associations and potential moderation by gender and game type. Neither mental toughness (β = -0.001, p = .928) nor resilience (β = -0.024, p = .159) was significantly associated with achievement level, and no moderating effects were detected. Model fit was low (McFadden's pseudo-R = .004 for the direct model; .005 for the interaction model), indicating negligible explanatory value. These null findings suggest that traditional sports psychology measures may not capture the psychological attributes most relevant to digital competition. The results highlight the need to develop and validate esports-specific constructs and tools that reflect the unique cognitive, social, and tactical demands of competitive gaming. Future research should explore alternative variables, longitudinal designs, and mixed-methods approaches to better understand the psychological determinants of esports performance.
Details
- Title
- Esports, Mental Toughness, & Resilience: Psychological Predictors of Performance May Fall Short
- Authors
- Matthew G Young (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of HealthDylan R Poulus - Southern Cross UniversityJoshua M Adie - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Health - Psychology
- Publication details
- Psychology of Sport and Exercise, Vol.82, pp.1-8
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Date published
- 2026
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.psychsport.2025.103016
- ISSN
- 1878-5476; 1469-0292
- PMID
- 41203224
- Copyright note
- © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
- Data Availability
- Data available on OSF. Link provided in manuscript.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Health - Psychology
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991182345902621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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