The Relationship of Mental Toughness and Mindfulness with Athletes' Rating of Perceived Exertion

Abstract:



This study aimed to examine the relationship between sport mindfulness and mental toughness with perceived fatigue among athletes. The statistical population consisted of all athletes at the University of Tehran, from whom 50 individuals were selected as the research sample. The research method was descriptive-correlational. The variables of this study included mental toughness, mindfulness, and perceived fatigue. The data collection tools included the Sports Mental Toughness Questionnaire (SMTQ) by Sheard et al., the Sport Mindfulness Questionnaire by Thienot et al., and the Borg Perceived Fatigue Scale. SPSS version 20 was used for data analysis. Descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation were employed, and in the inferential section, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to assess the normality of the data distribution, while Pearson’s correlation coefficient was applied to test the research hypotheses. The results showed a significant correlation between perceived fatigue and the subscales of athletes' mental toughness (p < 0.05); however, no significant relationship was observed between perceived fatigue and the subscales of mindfulness (p > 0.05). Ultimately, the findings emphasize the role of psychological traits in athletic performance, particularly in perceived fatigue.