Investigation of the relationship between mental endurance and emotional intelligence in high school students participating in school sports competitions

This research aims to examine the relationship between mental toughness and emotional intelligence in high school students who participate in school sports competitions. The study population consists of students studying in high schools in Şanlıurfa Provincial center and participating in interscholastic sports competitions during the 2022-2023 academic year. The research group consists of high school students in the central districts of Şanlıurfa. The sample of the study consists of 533 students, 263 (49.3%) of whom are female and 270 (50.7%) of whom are male. The "Sports Mental Toughness Questionnaire (SMTQ)" developed by Sheard et al. for mental toughness and the "Sports Emotional Intelligence Scale (SEIS)" developed by Lane et al. for emotional intelligence were used as data collection tools in the research. The data obtained in the study were analyzed using the SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) for Windows 22.0 program. The t-test was used to compare quantitative continuous data between two independent groups, and one-way analysis of variance (One-Way ANOVA) was used to compare quantitative continuous data between more than two independent groups. The Scheffe test was used as a post-hoc analysis to determine differences following the ANOVA test. Pearson correlation analysis was applied to the continuous variables in the study. Regression analyses were used to examine the effect of emotional intelligence on mental toughness in sports. According to the results of the multiple regression analysis, it was found that the emotional intelligence levels of athletes significantly affected their mental toughness levels. Based on the results obtained, it is considered that the emotional intelligence levels of high school students participating in school sports competitions are a determinant of their mental toughness levels. This relationship is important for researchers and should be taken into account for the development of athlete performance.