Researchers from LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center, along with collaborators from Harvard Medical School, Trinity University, Michigan State University and the Women’s Health, Sports and Performance Institute, followed nearly 400 female athletes across the U.S. over a 12-month period to better understand how psychological resilience develops and how it relates to mental health outcomes.
The study identified several modifiable factors that influence resilience, including emotion regulation, sleep quality, social support, experiential avoidance and intolerance of uncertainty. Over time, athletes who had more difficulty in these areas, particularly those with higher intolerance of uncertainty, were more likely to show lower levels of resilience.
The findings also show a clear connection between resilience and mental health. Athletes with higher resilience experienced lower rates of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and perceived stress throughout the study period. This suggests resilience functions as an important protective factor against common mental health challenges in sport.
Researchers at Pennington emphasize that resilience should not be viewed as a fixed trait or simply “mental toughness,” but rather as a set of psychological skills and processes that can be strengthened over time.
Because the identified factors are modifiable, they can be targeted through evidence-based interventions such as improving sleep habits, enhancing emotion regulation strategies, reducing avoidance behaviors and strengthening social support networks.
The study provides a road map for future prevention and intervention efforts aimed at improving both the mental health and performance of female athletes by focusing on how resilience is built and sustained over time.
