Examining the Relationship Between Mental Toughness and Athletic Identity Levels of Athletes According to Various Variables

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between athletes' mental toughness and athletic identity levels. The study, designed using a correlational research model, included a total of 276 active athletes, comprising 102 females (37.0%) and 174 males (63.0%) enrolled in the Faculty of Sport Sciences. The mean age of the participants was 22.30±2.60 years. The data collection instruments were the Mental Toughness Scale, developed by Connor and Davidson (2003) and adapted into Turkish by Erdoğan (2016), and the Athletic Identity Measurement Scale, developed by Brewer, Van Raalte, and Linder (1993) and adapted into Turkish by Öztürk and Koca (2013). After checking the assumptions of normality, the data were analyzed using Pearson correlation analysis, independent samples t-test, and one-way ANOVA. The results indicated a positive, moderate, and statistically significant relationship between athletes' mental toughness scores and athletic identity scores (r=.534, p<.05). No significant differences were found in mental toughness or athletic identity levels according to gender (p>.05). Regarding sports type, team athletes were found to have significantly higher levels of both mental toughness (t₂₇₄=5.74, p<.001) and athletic identity (t₂₇₄=6.51, p<.001) compared to individual athletes. While no significant difference was observed in mental toughness levels according to the department variable (p>.05), a significant difference in athletic identity was found in favor of students from the coaching department (F=3.489, p<.05). These findings indicate that athletes' mental toughness and athletic identity levels are related to each other and that this relationship is influenced by demographic variables.