Mental toughness, psychological flexibility, and sport-related well-being in university student-athletes in the United Kingdom

Well-being is a broad concept related to an individual’s happiness and life satisfaction, effective daily functioning, and meaningful relationships with others. Understanding and enhancing student-athlete well-being has become a key priority for sport organizations associated with universities. Mental toughness and psychological flexibility are intrapersonal resources that positively contribute to well-being, but researchers are yet to investigate how these factors are related to sport-related well-being in student-athletes in the United Kingdom (UK). A total of 104 student-athletes competing in university sport across the UK completed an online survey with measures of sport-related well-being, mental toughness, and psychological flexibility. Results show mental toughness and psychological flexibility to be significantly related to sport-related well-being. Furthermore, mental toughness was a significant predictor of subjective well-being, psychological well-being, social-well-being, and total sport-related well-being. Findings from this study might encourage sport organizations to consider promoting mental toughness and psychological flexibility in student-athletes.