Developing a test for mental toughness : the Mental Toughness Inventory (MTI)

![CDATA[Earlier qualitative research defined mental toughness as an unshakeable perseverance and conviction towards some goal despite pressure or adversity (Middleton, Marsh, Martin, Richards & Perry, in press, 2004). The purposes of this study were to (a) develop a measure of mental toughness, the Mental Toughness Inventory (MTI), and (b) confirm the underlying dimensions of mental toughness as identified previously in qualitative research. Our a priori model of mental toughness hypothesised 12 specific factors (self-efficacy, potential, mental self-concept, task familiarity, value, personal bests, goal commitment, perseverance, task focus, positivity, stress minimisation, and positive comparisons) and one global mental toughness factor. The MTI is a 67-item instrument designed to measure the characteristics of mental toughness as identified through qualitative research. The MTI was administered to 479 athletes (aged 12 to 19 years) based at an elite sports high school along with 325 elite athlete on athlete scholarships at various institutes of sport around Australia (including the Australian Institute of Sport, New South Wales Institute of Sport, Western Australia Institute of Sport, and the ACT Academy of Sport). The reliability coefficients for each of the factors ranged from .87 to .95 and the model fit for the confirmatory factor analysis was good.]]