title: Motivational correlates of mentally tough behaviours in tennis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to examine motivational correlates of mentally tough behaviours among adolescent tennis players.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two-phase study, involving the development of an informant-rated measure of mentally tough behaviours, followed by a cross-sectional survey including athlete and parent assessments of study variables.
  
  
  METHODS
  In Phase One, 17 adult, high-performance tennis coaches and 20 athletes participated in focus group interviews. Four scholars with expertise in performance psychology also completed a short, online survey. In Phase Two, a total of 347 adolescent tennis players (nmales=184; nfemales=163) aged 12-18 years (M=13.93, SD=1.47) and one respective parent took part in this study. An online multisection survey containing dimensions of passion, inspiration, fear of failure, and mentally tough behaviours was completed. Athletes self-reported all motivational variables, whereas parents rated their child solely on mentally tough behaviours.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Structural equation modelling revealed that harmonious passion (β=.26, p<.01) and frequency of inspiration (β=.32, p<.001) were associated with significantly higher levels of mentally tough behaviours. In contrast, fear of failure (β=-.32, p<.001) and obsessive passion (β=-.15, p<.01) were inversely related to mentally tough behaviours. Inspiration intensity was not significantly associated with mentally tough behaviour (β=.13, p=.21).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Motivational variables that are dispositional in nature, contextualised and contingent upon features of the environment, and concern one's identity are important considerations for understanding mentally tough behaviours.
authors.affiliation: School of Physiotherapy and Exercise Science, Curtin University, Australia; School of Human Movement Studies, The University of Queensland, Australia. Electronic address: daniel.f.gucciardi@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Daniel F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Gucciardi
authors.affiliation: School of Sport Science, Exercise, and Health, The University of Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.affiliation: Cardiff School of Sport, Cardiff Metropolitan University, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Sheldon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hanton
authors.affiliation: Tennis Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Machar
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reid
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002605:Character; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009042:Motivation; D010290:Parents; D013715:Tennis / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Characteristic adaptations; Identity; Personality levels; Traits