The Relationship Between Mental Toughness and Competitive Anxiety Among West Java Canoeing Student-Athletes Participating POPNAS XVII
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21009/GJIK.173.010Keywords:
sports psychology, Mental Toughness, Anxiety, Student AthletesAbstract
Mental toughness is an important psychological characteristic related to athletes’ ability to cope with competitive demands and maintain psychological stability under pressure. However, previous studies have reported varying findings regarding the relationship between mental toughness and competitive anxiety across different athlete populations. This study investigated the association between mental toughness and competitive anxiety among West Java canoeing student-athletes participating in POPNAS XVII, including the relationship between mental toughness and the dimensions of competitive anxiety. This study employed a quantitative correlational design involving 30 West Java canoeing student-athletes selected using total sampling. Data were obtained using the Indonesian-adapted version of the Mental Toughness Index (MTIid) and the Sport Anxiety Scale-2 (SAS-2Id). Data analysis was performed using Spearman’s rank correlation test. The results showed that mental toughness was significantly and negatively associated with competitive anxiety (rs = -0.411; p = 0.024). These findings indicate that athletes with higher mental toughness tended to report lower levels of competitive anxiety. This study highlights the importance of psychological preparation, particularly the development of mental toughness, in managing competitive pressure among canoeing student-athletes. The limitation of this study is the cross-sectional design and the relatively small sample size, which limit the generalizability and causal interpretation of the findings.Downloads
References
Akbar, A., Karim, Z. A., Zakaria, J., Suryanef, Cahyani, F. I., Rahman, M. A., Hamzah, N. B., & Mohamad, S. K. B. (2024). Understanding Mental Toughness in Student-Athletes: Insights from Sport Psychology. Retos, 54, 1–9.
A-e, M. A., & Susanto, N. (2023). The Contribution of Mental Toughness to Competitive Anxiety in U-15 SSB Tunas Inti at Sungai Penuh City Football Athletes. 5(2), 278–283.
Annisa, R. K. U. N., & Kurniawan, A. (1851). Buletin Riset Psikologi dan Kesehatan Mental Hubungan Antara Mental Toughness dengan Kecemasan Kompetitif pada Atlet Bola Basket Profesional. 2(54), 107–118.
Bhardwaj, M., & Devi, V. (2024). The impact of competitive anxiety on athletic performance: A comprehensive review. International Journal of Physiology, Health and Physical Education, 6(1), 102–105. https://doi.org/10.33545/26647265.2024.v6.i1b.62
Chen, Y., Sun, C., & Kim, D. H. (2026). Correlates of competitive anxiety in student athletes : the interactive roles of competitive stress , psychological resilience , and achievement motivation. May, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1832383
Doron, J., Martinent, G., & Doron, J. (2021). Dealing with elite sport competition demands : an exploration of the dynamic relationships between stress appraisal , coping , emotion , and performance during fencing matches performance during fencing matches. Cognition and Emotion, 0(0), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699931.2021.1960800
Fariz, M., Putra, P., Guntoro, T. S., Wandik, Y., Ita, S., Sinaga, E., Maurens, R., Kmurawak, B., & Rahayu, A. S. (2021). Psychometric Properties at Indonesian Version of the Sport Anxiety Scale-2 : Testing on Elite Athletes of. 9(6), 1477–1485. https://doi.org/10.13189/saj.2021.090645
Fariz, M., Putra, P., Syahruddin, S., Hasibuan, S., Sinulingga, A., Kamaruddin, I., Kristiyandaru, A., Hariadi, I., Guntoro, T. S., Sinaga, E., Ridwan, M., & Malang, U. N. (2024). An Indonesian Version of Mental Toughness Index: Testing Psychometric Properties in Athletes and Non-athletes Una versión indonesia del índice de dureza mental: prueba de propiedades psicométricas en atletas y no atletas. 2041, 816–824.
Goreham, J. A., Miller, K. B., Frayne, R. J., & Ladouceur, M. (2021). Pacing strategies and relationships between speed and stroke parameters for elite sprint kayakers in single boats. Journal of Sports Sciences, 39(19), 2211–2218. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2021.1927314
Gucciardi, D. F., Gordon, S., & Dimmock, J. A. (2008). Towards an understanding of mental toughness in Australian football. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 20(3), 261–281. https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200801998556
Hamzah, B. (2024). Understanding Mental Toughness in Student-Athletes: Insights from Sport Psychology Comprensión De La Fortaleza Mental En Estudiantes-Atletas: Conocimientos De La Psicología Del Deporte *,. 2041(2012), 1–9.
Hsieh, Y., Lu, F. J. H., Gill, D. L., Hsu, Y., Wong, T., Lu, F. J. H., Gill, D. L., Hsu, Y., & Wong, T. (2023). Effects of mental toughness on athletic performance : a systematic review and meta- analysis. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/1612197X.2023.2204312
Krisna, M., Pramudya, W., & Noordia, A. (2026). Mental Toughness dan Competitive Anxiety Pemain Futsal SMA Negeri 1 Sooko Mojokerto dalam Kompetisi Amazing Competition of Castle 2026. 11(November), 185–193.
Kumbara, H., Metra, Y., & Ilham, Z. (2018). Analisis tingkat kecemasan. Jurnal Ilmu Keolahragaan, 17(2), 28–35. https://jurnal.unimed.ac.id/2012/index.php/JIK/article/view/12299/10616
Mao, Z. (2025). Advancements in research on psychological and emotional aspects of student-athletes. October, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1645177
Medicine, T. (2018). Associations between competitive anxiety , athlete characteristics and sport context : evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis. 55(January 2006). https://doi.org/10.1590/0101-60830000000160
Mentzoni, F., & Losnegard, T. (2021). World and European Rowing Medallists Pace With Smaller Variation Than Their Competitors. 3(December), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2021.790198
Mojtahedi, D., Dagnall, N., Denovan, A., Clough, P., Dewhurst, S., Hillier, M., Papageorgiou, K., & Perry, J. (2023). Behavioral sciences Mental Toughness. Behavioral Sciences, 13(1–13). https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/13/9/713
Nissa, E. C., & Soenyoto, T. (2021). Hubungan ketangguhan mental dengan kecemasan bertanding pada atlet beladiri PPLP Jawa Tengah. Indonesian Journal for Psysical Education and Sport, 2(1), 267–277. https://journal.unnes.ac.id/sju/index.php/inapes/article/view/44598
Programme, S. S., Kingdom, U., & Education, P. (2019). Mental toughness in sport Systematic review and future. June, 381–394. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12662-019-00603-3
Ramis, Y., Pons, J., Alcaraz, S., & Solé, R. Z. (2024). health of European dual career athletes : A systematic review. March, 1844–1864. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsc.12218
Stamatis, A., Grandjean, P., Morgan, G., Padgett, R. N., Cowden, R., & Koutakis, P. (2020). Developing and training mental toughness in sport : a systematic review analysis of observational studies and pre- test and post- test experiments. 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjsem-2020-000747
Study, M. (2025). JSES : Journal of Sport and Exercise Science. 8(2).
Utomo, K. S., Muryani, C., & Nugraha, S. (2018). 3 1,2,3. Jurnal GeoEco, 4(1), 68–76.
Wolf, S. A., & Utesch, K. (2024). Psychology of Sport & Exercise Everything is cool when you ’ re part of a team ? The effects of outcome interdependence on appraisal , emotions , and performance under pressure. Psychology of Sport & Exercise, 74(May), 102683. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2024.102683
Zhou, Y., Jin, Z., & Wen, Y. (2024). The influence of competitive anxiety of Chinese elite swimmers. Frontiers in Psychology, 15(August), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1392137
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Nazwa Hidayah Solihah, Carsiwan, Teten Hidayat
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
