The relationship between mental toughness and rumination in athletes

Background and Study Aim. Rumination, defined as repetitive and persistent negative thinking, can negatively affect athletes’ performance and psychological well-being. Mental toughness, the ability to adapt positively to stress and challenges, may help buffer against such effects. This study aimed to examine the relationship between mental toughness and rumination among university athletes in Turkey. Materials and Methods. A total of 307 university athletes (153 female, 154 male) actively engaged in various sports participated in the study. The Sports Mental Toughness Inventory and the Sports Competition Rumination Scale were administered through an online survey. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent samples t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson correlation analysis. The significance level was set at p < .05. Results. Male athletes demonstrated higher levels of mental toughness than female athletes. Team-sport participants had higher persistence and confidence scores than those engaged in individual sports. Mental toughness tended to increase with athletic experience, while a small rise in rumination was also noted. A weak negative correlation was found between the control subdimension of mental toughness and rumination, indicating that athletes with stronger control abilities experienced fewer repetitive negative thoughts. Conclusions. The findings show that mental toughness, particularly its control aspect, plays an important role in reducing rumination among athletes. Strengthening psychological control and resilience through targeted training may help minimize maladaptive thought patterns and enhance mental performance in competitive environments.