Mental toughness, attachment style and cognitive emotion regulation: A study on athletes with and without physical disabilities

Mental Toughness, Attachment Style and Cognitive Emotion Regulation: A Study on Athletes with and without Physical Disabilities The aim of this study is to examine the relationship of mental toughness with attachment styles and cognitive emotion regulation strategies. The sample of the study consists of 207 athletes who with physical disabilities (30 female, 43 male) and athletes without physical disabilities (64 female, 70 male), between ages 18-46 (Mean: 26.11 ± 8.16). In the data collection process, Personal Information Form, Sport Mental Toughness Questionnaire, Relationship Scale Questionnaire and Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire were used. At the analysis of the data, SPSS 20.0 program was used and independent groups t-test, Pearson product-moment correlation, and hierarchical stepwise multiple regression analysis were done. As a result of the analysis of the data obtained, it was found that there was no significant difference in terms of mental toughness and attachment styles between the athletes with physical disabilities and athletes without physical disabilities (p.05). It has been identified that acceptance and positive refocusing strategies were used more often by athletes with physical disabilities (p<.05). When gender differences were examined, it was seen that male athletes mental toughness scores were higher than female athletes (p<.05). As the relationship between the variables of the study is examined, it was found that there is a positive relationship between the mental toughness and the secure attachment style of the athletes with physical disabilities (r=.41, p<.01) and athletes without physical disabilities (r=.27, p<.01). It was also found that secure attachment was a significant predictor for all athletes in terms of confidence, constancy and control (p<.05). Keywords: Mental Toughness; Attachment Style; Cognitive Emotion Regulation; Physical Disability