Development and preliminary validation of the Cricket Mental Toughness Inventory (CMTI)

Abstract

The purpose of this research project was to develop a psychometrically sound measure of mental toughness in cricket, using a multi-method research design. Two qualitative studies in which current and former cricketers' (n = 16) perceptions of the key components of mental toughness in cricket and the suitability of an item pool to target those key components (n = 9) were assessed. We then conducted two quantitative studies to examine both the within- and between-network properties of the Cricket Mental Toughness Inventory (CMTI) using confirmatory factor analysis and correlations. Support for the existence of a five-factor, 15-item model was revealed with three independent samples of cricketers; two contained cricketers from several different countries (n = 285 and 285), whereas one contained Australian cricketers only (n = 433). Each of the five subscales (affective intelligence, attentional control, resilience, self-belief, and desire to achieve) were positively correlated with dispositional flow, hardiness, and resilience and negatively correlated with athlete burnout. Although requiring replication and extension, the results of the present study provide preliminary support for the factor structure, internal reliability, and construct validity of the CMTI.

Keywords:

• Multi-method research
• questionnaire development
• hardiness
• resilience
• burnout
• flow

Acknowledgement

Appreciation is extended to the following individuals for their unswerving assistance with data collection: Richard Done (High Performance Manager, International Cricket Council), Richard Stretch (University of Port Elizabeth), Doug Harris (High Performance Manager, Western Australian Cricket Association), Marc Portus (Manager, Sport Science Sport Medicine, Cricket Australia), and Brijesh Patel (Director, Karnataka State Cricket Association). The Board of Control for Cricket in India (experiment one) and Cricket Australia (Australian sample in experiment three and four) provided funding for this project. Both authors contributed equally to the series of investigations presented in this paper. Daniel Gucciardi is now with the Centre for Behavioural Research in Cancer Control, Curtin University of Technology.