Key result
Role strain explains ~30% of variance in adolescent athlete mental health symptoms, unmediated by mental toughness.
Why the study?
Adolescent athletes must manage numerous roles, and this study examined the association of role strain with mental health symptomology along with the potential mediating role of mental toughness.
Does role strain associate with mental health symptomology in adolescent athletes, and does mental toughness mediate this relationship?
Cross-Sectional (n=128)
Does role strain associate with mental health symptomology in adolescent athletes, and does mental toughness mediate this relationship?
Role strain and mental toughness independently influence mental health symptomology in adolescent athletes, suggesting interventions targeting these factors could improve mental wellbeing.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Role strain was associated with mental health symptoms in adolescent athletes; leaves open whether targeting role strain or mental toughness improves outcomes.
Adolescent athletes are required to manage numerous roles to succeed. This study examined the association of role strain and mental health symptomology and the potential mediating role of mental toughness. In addition, the role of gender and sport type was examined. Method: 128 Adolescent athletes (males = 40; females = 88; mean age = 18.34 years; SD = 2.20) from diverse sports in Australia completed an online survey (Qualtrics) which included demographic information, the Role Strain Questionnaire for Junior Athletes (RSQ-JA), Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and Very Short Mental Toughness Questionnaire (VS-MTQ). Results: Regression analysis showed that role strain (ambiguity) explained 31% of the variance in depression, 27.2% in anxiety (ambiguity, underload) and 30.5% of stress (overload, ambiguity). Mediation analysis showed that mental toughness did not mediate the association between role strain and mental health symptomology. However, higher levels of mental toughness was associated with decreased depression, anxiety and stress symptomology. There were no associations for gender and sport type with role strain or mental health except for stress, with females reporting higher levels (mean 19.67, SD = 9.05 for females and 15.21, SD = 8.36 for males, p = 0.01) with a small effect size. Conclusion: Role strain and mental toughness both influence mental health symptomology. This allows for the development of interventions which can reduce role strain or enhance mental toughness in adolescent athletes to improve their mental wellbeing.
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Morrison et al. (2024) conducted a cross-sectional in Mental health symptomology (n=128). Role strain was evaluated on Mental health symptomology (depression, anxiety, and stress). Role strain explained 27-31% of the variance in depression, anxiety, and stress among adolescent athletes; mental toughness did not mediate this but was associated with decreased symptoms.
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