Young, Matthew G (2024) Beyond Skill: The Impact of Mental Toughness and Resilience in High-Level Esports. Honours thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
This study utilised a cross-sectional design to investigate the relationship between mental toughness, resilience, and competitive achievement levels of 480 participants among highlevel competitive esports players. The participating esports players were drawn from the top 40% of competitive ranks of seven popular esports titles. Participants completed online selfreport surveys that measured mental toughness (MTQ-18) and resilience (CD-RISC-10) to explore whether higher levels of mental toughness and resilience were associated with superior achievement levels. Additionally, the moderating roles of gender and game type (MOBA vs. FPS) were also assessed. Descriptive statistics indicated moderate levels of mental toughness and resilience across the sample. Moderation analysis revealed no significant relationships between mental toughness, resilience, and competitive achievement, nor any significant moderating effects of gender or game type on these relationships. These findings challenge existing frameworks derived from traditional sports psychology, suggesting that mental toughness and resilience may have limited influence on performance in esports. The study findings highlight the need for esports-specific psychological models and suggests that future research should explore constructs like emotional regulation and cognitive adaptability. These insights contribute to the field of esports psychology by questioning the applicability of traditional sports frameworks and emphasising the development of tailored approaches for player development and performance enhancement in esports.
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| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Honours) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Current – Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Psychology and Wellbeing (1 Jan 2022 -) |
| Supervisors: | Dr Adie, Joshua |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Science (Honours) (Psychology) |
| Date Deposited: | 29 Jan 2026 06:29 |
| Last Modified: | 29 Jan 2026 06:29 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | esports, mental toughness, resilience, competitive achievement, psychology |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1701 Psychology > 170106 Health, Clinical and Counselling Psychology |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5203 Clinical and health psychology > 520304 Health psychology |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/53125 |
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