Attention control and emotional regulation as mediators in the relationship between mindfulness and mental toughness amongst high-level cricketers

Mental toughness is widely recognised as a crucial determinant of success in sport, with mindfulness being positively linked to its enhancement. However, the specific mechanisms through which mindfulness enhances mental toughness remain unclear. Attention control and emotional regulation have been identified as key mechanisms through which mindfulness may improve athletic performance. Within the cricket-specific sport psychology literature, these processes have been identified as key contributors to mental toughness. Given this commonality, the current study aimed to investigate whether attention control and emotional regulation mediate the interaction between dispositional mindfulness and mental toughness amongst high-level South African cricketers. A convenience sample of 211 development, academy, provincial, and franchise South African cricketers (63% male, 36% female, Mage = 24.20 years) was recruited. Respondents completed the Attention Control Scale, the Emotional Regulation Questionnaire, the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale, and the Mental Toughness Index. Ordinary least squares regression analysis was used to test the mediating effect of attention control and emotional regulation on the interaction between dispositional mindfulness and mental toughness. In combination, attention control, dispositional mindfulness, and emotional regulation accounted for 22.8% (F(4,206) = 15.214, p <.001) of the variance in the sample’s mental toughness scores. Dispositional mindfulness (? = .137, p = .043) and the emotional regulation strategy of cognitive reappraisal (? = .326, p <.001) emerged as independent predictors of mental toughness. Furthermore, attention control partially mediated the effect of dispositional mindfulness on mental toughness (ab = .034, 95% CI [.006, .112]). The findings of this study indicate that dispositional mindfulness and cognitive reappraisal are direct predictors of mental toughness. Attention control appears to be an important mechanism by which dispositional mindfulness enhances mental toughness amongst high-level South African cricketers.