Evaluation of the 10-item Mental Toughness Questionnaire (MTQ10): cross-cultural assessment and scrutiny of method effects

Abstract The 10-item Mental Toughness Questionnaire (MTQ10) is an easy to administer, global measure of mental toughness. Previous analysis established that the MTQ10 was psychometrically superior to the preceding, widely used, 18-item version. Nevertheless, the MTQ10 is potentially undermined by a method effect arising from the inclusion of negatively phrased items. Noting this, the present paper further assessed the measurement properties of the MTQ10 via cross-cultural comparisons. This involved assessing the factor composition in samples from the UK ( N = 596), Greece ( N = 1230), and Italy ( N = 425). Rather than a strict method effect, analyses found effects specific to pairs of negative items. The emergent model demonstrated partial invariance across countries. National variations in mental toughness scores were ascribable to societal differences. Convergent validity was demonstrated using theoretically related variables (Dark Triad and Life Satisfaction). Overall, results supported the use of the MTQ10 as a global mental toughness measure. Additionally, outcomes suggested that further cross-cultural comparison would provide useful insights into the nature of mental toughness.