Mental toughness refers to a collection of psychological characteristic which are central to optimal performance. Athletes, coaches, and sport psychologists have consistently implicated mental toughness as one of the most important psychological characteristics related to success in sports. Over the last few decades, numerous studies have been conducted to examine the role of mental toughness in sporting success. However, its conceptualization and measurement are without consensus. The purpose of this study is to systematically review some of the emerging definitions and conceptualizations, and examine how mental toughness could be nurtured. This review considers both qualitative and quantitative approaches to the study of mental toughness with the specific focus on the models and the development of the measurement of this construct. Although these discussions center on the general aspects of mental toughness, we believe many of the issues have relevance to scholars and practitioners who are interested in the measurement of psychological variables as they pertain to sport, exercise, and other performance or achievement contexts.

The status of the physical exercise of college students has been a popular topic in China. This study systematically reviewed the exercise status of Chinese college students and its influencing factors. A keyword and reference search were conducted in the Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane library, and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure. Additionally, Google Scholar was searched to collect literatures related to physical activity of Chinese university students published in Chinese and English from 1 January 2017 to 30 July 2022. Fifteen studies met the selection criteria and were included in the review. The results show that the main motivation for Chinese college students to exercise is to strengthen their bodies, with running and walking ranking first and ball games ranking second in importance. Most of the college students exercised three times a week, which is the recommended minimum, and most of their workouts were of moderate intensity. Additionally, the workouts lasted for 30 min to 60 min. The main factors affecting college students’ exercise are lack of time due to academic pressure, facilities constraints, and lack of professional exercise guidance. In conclusion, the physical fitness of university students should not be underestimated, and this study provides additional reference to promote healthier lifestyles among Chinese college students.

Despite the global impact of COVID-19, studies comparing the effects of COVID-19 on population mental health across countries are sparse. This study aimed to compare anxiety and depression symptoms during the COVID-19 lockdown among adults from 11 countries and to examine their associations with country-level COVID-19 factors and personal COVID-19 exposure. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among adults (≥18 years) in 11 countries (Brazil, Bulgaria, China, India, Ireland, North Macedonia, Malaysia, Singapore, Spain, Turkey, United States). Mental health (anxiety, depression, resilient coping, hope) and other study data were collected between June–August 2020. Of the 13,263 participants, 62.8% were female and 51.7% were 18–34 years old. Participants living in Brazil had the highest anxiety and depression symptoms while participants living in Singapore had the lowest. Greater personal COVID-19 exposure was associated with increased anxiety and depression symptoms, but country-level COVID-19 factors were not. Higher levels of hope were associated with reduced anxiety and depression; higher levels of resilient coping were associated with reduced anxiety but not depression. Substantial variations exist in anxiety and depression symptoms across countries during the COVID-19 lockdown, with personal COVID-19 exposure being a significant risk factor. Strategies that mitigate COVID-19 exposure and enhance hope and resilience may reduce anxiety and depression during global emergencies.

Personality is considered to be a factor affecting athletic performance. However, inconsistency in the research results regarding size and even direction of the relationship. An evaluation of the evidence of the relationship between personality and athletic performance was conducted in order to summarize the evidence available. A systematic literature search was conducted in March 2023. Sport performance and the Big Five personality model were identified in our research. We used PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, Wang Fang (Chinese), Wei Pu (Chinese), and CNKI (Chinese) databases for the systematic literature search (Prospero registration number: CRD42022364000), screened 4,300 studies, and found 23 cross-sectional studies eligible for inclusion in this review. The results of this systematic analysis show that, besides neuroticism, openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, and agreeableness are all positively correlated with sports performance. Conscientiousness and extraversion are the two main personalities in team sports. Openness and agreeableness show different results in different sports, and it is not clear to which project they are beneficial. The value of personality as a possible predictor of athletic performance is generally positive. Therefore, professionals such as applied sports psychologists, coaching personnel, athletes, and sports administrators must comprehensively grasp the significance of personality’s role in achieving success in major competitions. Considering these facts, sports practitioners should promote personality screening and personality development programs.

This study’s purpose was to examine the structural relationship of the transtheoretical model (TTM) and the amount of physical activity (PA) among undergraduate students in health and medicine at Universiti Sains Malaysia. A cross-sectional study was carried out among students who took part in the co-curricular program. Co-curricular program includes activities that take place outside of the regular lectures or tutorials in the University. Students recruited through purposive sampling were informed that their participation was entirely voluntarily. Those interested completed the self-administered questionnaire, which consisted of the 10-item decisional balance, 18-item self-efficacy, and 30-item processes of change scales. Data were analyzed using Mplus version 8 for descriptive statistics and structural equation modelling analysis for inferential statistics. A total of 562 students participated in the study. The majority of the students was female (79.3%) and Malay (67.3%). The final structural model fit the data well based on several fit indices (CFI = .947, TLI = .908, SRMR = .046, RMSEA (CI: 90%) = .061 (.045, .078), RMSEA p =.130). The model showed that stages of change significantly affected self-efficacy (p < .001), pros (benefits of exercise; p < .001), cons (barriers to exercise; p = .022), and processes of change (p < .001). The model also showed significant inter-relationships among the TTM constructs and supported seven hypotheses. Among all the variables examined, only processes of change significantly affected PA (p < .001). However, stages of change (p < .001) and pros (p=< .001) had significant indirect effects on PA via processes of change. The findings support that individuals’ stages of change affect their self-efficacy level, or the ability to make positive and negative decisions and perform behavior accordingly. The study confirms that making correct decisions and taking action accordingly can increase PA levels. of change in an individual would affect the self-efficacy level, the ability to make a positive and negative decision and perform according to their behavior. This study confirmed that by making the correct decision and taking action accordingly, the amount of physical activity would be increased.