Mental Toughness, Session Format, and Athlete Engagement: A Repeated-Measures Analysis in Collegiate Dancers

Preliminary results demonstrate mental toughness (MT) is key to sustaining athlete engagement, but how training formats influence this relationship is less understood. Team sessions are more generalized while personalized coaching is more customized. A combination of individual and group consulting is recommended. PURPOSE: To examine the direct relationship between MT and athlete engagement and assess whether session format moderates this effect. METHODS: Both team and one-on-one sessions were designed to develop a mentally tough mindset and were carried out by the same practitioner. Team sessions focused on foundational knowledge applicable to all participants. One-on-one sessions allowed for personalized MT training. Twenty-four female collegiate dancers participated in a repeated-measures study (107 observations), attending varying numbers of both session types across a four-month period. Athlete engagement was assessed using the Employee Engagement Scale, and MT was measured via the Mental Toughness Index. A linear mixed-effects model was employed to evaluate the relationship between MT and engagement, with session format as a moderator. All data analyses were conducted in Python (3.11.8). RESULTS: MT significantly predicted engagement, F(1,99) = 89.20, p < .001, β = 5.27. Team and one-on-one sessions alone did not significantly influence engagement (p = .976, p = .762, respectively). However, MT × Team Interaction was significant, F(1,99) = 5.71, p = .018, β = -2.09, indicating team sessions slightly weakened the positive effect of MT on engagement. Conversely, MT × One-on-One Interaction was significant, F(1,99) = 5.31, p = .023, β = 1.40, suggesting that one-on-one sessions enhanced MT’s impact on engagement. Lastly, MT × Both Sessions Interaction was strongly negative, F(1,99) = 14.62, p < .001, β = -4.81, indicating that excessive engagement in both session types concurrently diminished the overall effect of MT on engagement. CONCLUSION: The study confirms MT is a strong predictor of athlete engagement, but the way training sessions are structured matters. One-on-one sessions enhance the positive effect of MT on engagement, while high exposure to both session types concurrently may diminish the overall effect of MT on engagement. Mental performance specialists should strategically balance session types.