Mental Toughness in Young Football Players: An Analysis of Psychological Performance Across Different Age Groups

Abstract

Mental toughness is a multifaceted trait that has a big impact on psychological success. It has parts that are cognitive, emotional, and behavioral, as well as self-confidence. People who are mentally tough tend to do well in sports and have good mental health and well-being. It was the goal of this study to look at the relationship between different aspects of mental toughness and age groups in young football players in order to find out if there are different psychological skills that help them grow. Loher created the Psychological Performance Inventory (PPI), which was filled out by 121 male players. The results showed that there were statistically significant differences between three age groups in four variables: controlling negative energy, controlling attention, controlling visual and mental images, and controlling motivated level. The best results were seen in the U19 category for all factors. Things got worse in the semi-professional category after that. There were strong links found between mental toughness factors and age groups. It was found that the age group variable had a strong positive relationship with the ability to focus, the ability to control images and visuals, and the level of drive. As with the other variables, self-confidence was linked to being able to control bad energy, paying attention, being motivated, and having positive energy. During the developmental phase, evaluating psychological factors like mental resilience can help teachers and players choose the right mental skill training to improve performance in competition and achieve sports success. Additionally, it supports healthy mental growth and general well-being.