Treffer: Preliminary Evidence for the Effects of a Mental Toughness Intervention on Athlete Engagement: A Longitudinal Study in Collegiate Dancers

Title:
Preliminary Evidence for the Effects of a Mental Toughness Intervention on Athlete Engagement: A Longitudinal Study in Collegiate Dancers
Authors:
Cavan, Spencer, Stamatis, Andreas
Source:
International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings
Publisher Information:
TopSCHOLAR®
Publication Year:
2025
Collection:
Western Kentucky University (WKU): TopScholar
Subject Terms:
mentally tough, cognitive engagement, emotional engagement, behavioral engagement, dancing, Psychology and Behavior, Health and Physical Education, Medical Education, Sports Sciences
Document Type:
Fachzeitschrift text
File Description:
application/pdf
Language:
unknown
Relation:
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol2/iss17/155; https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/context/ijesab/article/8492/viewcontent/auto_convert.pdf
Availability:
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol2/iss17/155
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/context/ijesab/article/8492/viewcontent/auto_convert.pdf
Accession Number:
edsbas.9ECF63F
Database:
BASE

Weitere Informationen

Engagement is an active, work-related positive psychological state characterized by the intensity and direction of cognitive (CE), emotional (EE), and behavioral (BE) energy toward performance, well-being, and resilience outcomes in high-pressure environments. Mental toughness (MT), the capacity to consistently perform under pressure, may help increase engagement. As the professionalization of college athletics advances, athletes increasingly function as employees, requiring full psychological engagement. This study is the first to examine the effectiveness of an MT intervention on athlete engagement. PURPOSE: To examine the effectiveness of an MT intervention on athlete engagement, measured across CE, EE, and BE domains, as well as overall engagement (OE). METHODS: A convenience sample of female collegiate dancers (N = 35) participated in a structured, weekly MT intervention, with engagement assessed weekly at five time points (T1–T5). MT was measured using the Mental Toughness Index, while engagement was assessed using the Employee Engagement Scale. Linear mixed-effects models (LMMs), implemented in Python (v3.10) using Statsmodels (v0.14), accounted for within-subject correlations and repeated measures. Separate LMMs were conducted for OE as well as each engagement subscale to examine their unique relationships with MT over time. The models included MT Total, Time, and their interaction as fixed effects, with random intercepts by participant ID. Assumption checks confirmed normality (Shapiro-Wilk p = .006), no autocorrelation (Durbin-Watson = 1.95), and acceptable multicollinearity (VIF < 6). Ordinary Least Squares regressions produced comparable results. Restricted Maximum Likelihood Estimation was used for model fitting. Results were interpreted considering engagement trends and increasing academic and dance-related pressures. The intervention remains ongoing, and all key MT dimensions have not yet been covered. RESULTS: MT significantly predicted higher OE (p = .005, β = 0.340), with the strongest ...