The effect of mental fitness on reducing persecutory thinking among athletes in selected track events
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Abstract
The present study aimed to examine the effect of mental fitness on reducing persecutory thinking among athletes in selected track events, as well as to develop and validate measurement scales for both variables within a sport-specific context. A descriptive correlational research design was adopted. The research population consisted of male track and field athletes aged 15–17 years from sports clubs in Baghdad during the 2024–2025 competitive season, with a main application sample of 95 athletes. Two scales were constructed for the purposes of the study: a Mental Fitness Scale and a Persecutory Thinking Scale, each comprising 20 items and demonstrating satisfactory validity and reliability indices. Descriptive findings indicated that the athletes exhibited a high level of mental fitness and a low level of persecutory thinking. Inferential analyses revealed a strong, statistically significant inverse relationship between mental fitness and persecutory thinking. Simple linear regression analysis confirmed that mental fitness was a significant negative predictor of persecutory thinking, accounting for a substantial proportion of variance in maladaptive cognitive perceptions related to mistrust and perceived injustice. These results suggest that athletes with higher levels of cognitive regulation, attentional control, and adaptive thinking are less likely to develop negative interpretations of social interactions within the sports club environment. The study underscores the importance of mental fitness as a protective psychological factor in competitive sport and highlights the value of incorporating structured psychological skills training programs to enhance athletes’ mental fitness and psychological well-being.
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