Bibliometric Analysis of Sports Mental Toughness and Sports Self-esteem

Background & objective: Mental toughness and self-esteem are distinct psychological constructs relevant to sport and exercise. This study aimed to examine publication trends, geographical contributions, influential publications, and thematic patterns in research on these constructs. Materials for Analysis: This bibliometric study analyzed Web of Science records published between 1991 and 2025. The searches retrieved 526 records on mental toughness and 2,071 on self-esteem. Bibliographic data were analyzed descriptively, and keyword co-occurrence networks were visualized using VOSviewer version 1.6.20. Data collection was conducted on 17 April 2025. Results: Publication activity increased in both research areas, with a notable rise in mental-toughness publications after 2015. Research articles represented the largest document category in both datasets. England led the mental-toughness corpus, whereas the United States led the self-esteem corpus. Mental-toughness keywords emphasized coping, psychological skills, motivation, stress, and self-efficacy. Self-esteem keywords covered broader themes, including exercise, health, body image, development, and physical activity. Conclusions: The findings reveal different thematic emphases in the retrieved literature. However, differences in search scope and corpus composition limit direct comparisons. Future research should refine search strategies, validate corpus relevance, and investigate the relationship between mental toughness and self-esteem using studies that measure both constructs.