An examination into the relationship between level of hardiness and the usage of coping strategies

Abstract

Previous research in the area of hardiness has looked many comparisons between hardiness and other variables such as coping. Within this research there have been studies looking into elite athletes and specific sports, yet a lack of research in non-elite soccer. Also, these studies have failed to inspect whether there is a relationship between hardiness and coping. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between hardiness and coping in non-elite soccer, and subsequently find out if hardiness is able to predict coping. The study consisted of 57 (n = 57, Mean = 19.93, SD = 1.37) non-elite soccer players completing the MCOPE after an important game, and the DRS anytime outside a sporting context. The data collected was analysed using correlation, then regression analysis to find relationships. Results showed that there were 12 correlations, yet only 4 were significant (P < 0.05). From the regression it was found that 3 of the variables were significantly regressed from hardiness (P < 0.05). The implications from this study can extend to the current literature, as it identifies that hardiness is not an important predictor of coping usage and its effectiveness.