Psychological Resilience: Its Relationship with Overall Well-Being, Student-Athletes, Academic Performance, and Athletic Performance of Student-Athletes
Main Article Content
Abstract
This study examined the level of psychological resilience among secondary student-athletes in Iligan City and its relationship with mental well-being, academic performance, and athletic performance. Using a descriptive–correlational research design, data were collected from 225 secondary student-athletes actively participating in organized school-based sports programs. Standardized instruments, including the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10) and the Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS), along with researcher-developed measures for academic and athletic performance, were utilized. Descriptive statistics and inferential analyses were employed to determine levels, group differences, and relationships among variables. Results revealed that student-athletes exhibited low to moderate levels of psychological resilience, with strengths in goal orientation, confidence, and task focus, but limitations in emotional regulation, adaptability, and stress-related growth. Despite these limitations, respondents demonstrated high levels of mental well-being, academic performance, and athletic performance. Psychological resilience was found to be significantly and positively associated with all outcome variables. Significant differences in resilience were observed according to gender, type of sport, and years of athletic experience. The findings indicate that while structured school-based sports participation provides important protective benefits, psychological resilience remains an underdeveloped yet critical resource for student-athletes. The study underscores the need for intentional resilience-building interventions and supports the integration of a school-based Psychological Resilience Training Program within Physical Education and interscholastic sports initiatives to promote balanced performance, academic success, and long-term well-being among student-athletes.
Article Details

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
References
Barczak-Scarboro, N. E., Kroshus, E., Pexa, B., Register-Mihalik, J. K., & DeFreese, J. D. (2024). Athlete resilience trajectories across competitive training: The influence of physical and psychological stress. Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, 18(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1123/jcsp.2021-0111
Cepeda-González, M. C., Villarreal-Soto, B. M., Ramos-Jaubert, R. I., & Flores-Oyervides, K. F. (2023). Motivation and academic performance in adolescents. Revista de Filosofía y Cotidianidad, 7(21), 9–12. https://www.ecorfan.org/bolivia/researchjournals/Filosofia_y_Cotidianidad/vol7num21/Journal_of_Philosophy_and_Daily_Life_V7_N21_2.pdf
Chacón-Cuberos, R., Zurita-Ortega, F., Ramírez-Granizo, I., & Castro-Sánchez, M. (2020). Physical activity and academic performance in children and preadolescents: A systematic review. Apunts. Educación Física y Deportes, 139, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.5672/apunts.2014-0983.es.(2020/1).139.01
Connor, K. M., & Davidson, J. R. T. (2003). Development of a new resilience scale: The Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Depression and Anxiety, 18(2), 76–82. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.10113
Côté, J., & Hancock, D. J. (2016). Evidence-based policies for youth sport programmes. International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 8(1), 51–65. https://doi.org/10.1080/19406940.2014.919338
Eime, R. M., Young, J. A., Harvey, J. T., Charity, M. J., & Payne, W. R. (2013). A systematic review of the psychological and social benefits of participation in sport for children and adolescents. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 10, Article 98. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23945179/
Fletcher, D., & Sarkar, M. (2012). A grounded theory of psychological resilience in Olympic champions. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 13(5), 669–678. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2012.04.007
Fraser-Thomas, J., Côté, J., & Deakin, J. (2008). Understanding dropout and prolonged engagement in adolescent competitive sport. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 9(5), 645–662. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2007.08.003
Godor, B. P. (2025). Cultivating resilience in youth: Assessing the psychological benefits of sport-based development programs. Journal of Sport for Development. https://jsfd.org/2025/06/03/cultivating-resilience-in-youth-assessing-the-psychological-benefits-of-sport-based-development-programs/
Hösl, B., Oberdorfer, H., Niedermeier, M., & Kopp, M. (2025). Sport specialization and burnout symptoms among adolescent athletes. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 30(1), Article 2460626. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2025.2460626
Hu, H., Peng, B., Chen, W., Wang, H., & Yu, T. (2025). How psychological resilience shapes adolescents’ sports participation: The mediating effect of exercise motivation. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, Article 1546754. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1546754
Kanaros, D., & Bourdaniotis, P. (2025). Adolescents’ sport participation and socioemotional learning. Futurity Education, 5(2), Article 8. https://doi.org/10.57125/FED.2025.06.25.08
Macedo, A. G., Almeida, T. A. F., Massini, D. A., et al. (2024). Load monitoring methods for controlling training effectiveness on physical conditioning. Applied Sciences, 14(22), Article 10465. https://doi.org/10.3390/app142210465
Mei, Z., Cai, C., Wang, T., Luo, S., Yang, Y., Lam, C., & Wang, Z. (2025). The relationship between resilience and burnout in elite athletes. BMC Psychology, 13, Article 1248. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-03569-0
Mendizabal, B. (2024). The relationship between athletes’ grit, mental toughness, and sport resilience. Physical Education of Students, 28(4), 177–185. https://doi.org/10.15561/20755279.2024.0401
Min, W., & Qian, L. (2024). Path analysis of factors influencing psychological resilience in adolescents with depression. J. Peking Univ., 56, 809–814. https://doi.org/10.19723/j.issn.1671-167X.2024.05.009
Ozkara, A. B., et al. (2016). Physical activity and mental toughness in adolescents. Journal of Sports Sciences. https://www.academia.edu/30069933/THE_ROLE_OF_PHYSICAL_ACTIVITY_IN_PSYCHOLOGICAL_RESILIENCE
Pasno, A. (2024). Impact of sports enjoyment on academic resilience among student-athletes. Physical Education of Students, 28(4), 210–217. https://doi.org/10.15561/20755279.2024.0403
Stewart-Brown, S., Tennant, A., Tennant, R., Platt, S., et al. (2009). Internal construct validity of the Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS). Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 7, 15. https://doi.org/10.1186/1477-7525-7-15
Valenzuela-Moss, J., Sini, M., Wren, T. A. L., & Edison, B. R. (2024). Changes in sports participation, specialization, and burnout from 7th to 12th grade: Final results from a 6-year longitudinal study. Sports Health, 16. https://doi.org/10.1177/19417381231224792
Xu, Y., & Tian, W. (2025). The effect of team cohesion on mental toughness. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, Article 1655398. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1655398
Zuckerman, S. L., Tang, A. R., Richard, K. E., et al. (2021). The behavioral, psychological, and social impacts of team sports: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The Physician and Sportsmedicine, 49(3), 246–261. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913847.2020.1850152