The Relationship Between Mental Toughness, Emotional Intelligence, and Stress Coping With the Incidence of Unstable Ankle Injury in Athletes

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine the relationships between mental toughness, emotional intelligence, and stress coping skills with the incidence of unstable ankle injury among university volleyball and basketball athletes.

Methods and Materials: This applied, correlational study was conducted among male and female university athletes competing in volleyball and basketball at regional university competitions in 2017. A total of 118 athletes who met the inclusion criteria were selected using convenience sampling. Data were collected using standardized self-report instruments assessing mental toughness, emotional intelligence in sport, stress coping styles, and ankle instability. Questionnaires were administered during official competitions following coordination with university sports authorities. Data analysis was performed using SPSS (Version 20). Normality of distributions was assessed using the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to examine bivariate relationships, and multiple regression analysis was conducted to determine the predictive contribution of psychological variables to unstable ankle injury incidence at an alpha level of .05.

Findings: Inferential analyses showed a significant positive correlation between mental toughness and unstable ankle injury (r = 0.277, p = .003), as well as significant correlations with right ankle injury (r = 0.249, p = .007) and left ankle injury (r = 0.200, p = .033). Stress coping skills were significantly correlated with overall unstable ankle injury (r = 0.215, p = .021) and left ankle injury (r = 0.184, p = .050), while the correlation with right ankle injury was not statistically significant (r = 0.174, p = .063). Emotional intelligence was not significantly associated with unstable ankle injury (r = −0.035, p = .708), right ankle injury (r = −0.033, p = .726), or left ankle injury (r = −0.024, p = .804). Multiple regression analysis indicated that mental toughness (β = 0.286, t = 3.23, p = .002) and stress coping (β = 0.253, t = 2.73, p = .007) were significant predictors of unstable ankle injury, whereas emotional intelligence was not (β = −0.144, t = −1.55, p = .124). The model explained 13% of the variance in unstable ankle injury (R = 0.372, R² = 0.139, adjusted R² = 0.115; F(3,111) = 5.96, p = .01).

Conclusion: The findings suggest that mental toughness and stress coping skills are significant psychological correlates of unstable ankle injury among university athletes, while emotional intelligence does not independently predict injury incidence. These results highlight the complex and context-dependent role of psychological resources in sport injury and underscore the importance of integrating psychological factors into injury prevention and athlete support programs.