Mediational Role of Mental Toughness on the Relationship Between Self-Efficacy and Prosocial/Antisocial Behavior in Elite Youth Sport

The modeling and reinforcement of efficacy beliefs and mental toughness in sport continue to generate significant curiosity in the sport psychology research. Investigations into how these behaviors interact and, in the process, affect the development of prosocial and antisocial behaviors among youth athletes are relatively few. This is despite growing evidence of strong associations between self-efficacy beliefs, mental toughness, and various kinds of adaptive and maladaptive behaviors in sport. Therefore, this study sought to examine if mental toughness mediates the relationship between self-efficacy and prosocial/antisocial behaviors in Botswana youth athletes. The study also examined if data from Botswana fit the proposed factor structure of the Sports Mental Toughness Questionnaire, the Self-efficacy Scale, and the Prosocial and Antisocial Behavior in Sport scale. A total of 158 male (n = 81) and female (n = 77) junior secondary school and senior secondary school (middle and high school) athletes aged 14–20 years old enrolled in Centers for Sport Excellence in Botswana participated in the study. Results showed support for the factor structure of the study's measurement tools. The constancy dimension of mental toughness mediated the relationship between self-efficacy and prosocial/antisocial behavior to teammate and opponent. These findings have implications for research and practice aimed at enhancing efficacy beliefs, mental toughness, and positive youth sport experiences. Contextual relevance of this line of research and measurement tools are discussed.