GAMBARAN MENTAL TOUGHNESS ATLET UKM PETANQUE UNIVERSITAS SYIAH KUALA PADA KEJUARAAN INVITASI MAHASISWA DI JAKARTA TAHUN 2026

Abstrak

This study aimed to describe the mental toughness of student athletes from the Petanque Student Activity Unit at Universitas Syiah Kuala who participated in the 2026 Student Invitational Championship in Jakarta. A descriptive quantitative survey was conducted in July 2026 with all nine participating athletes selected through total sampling. Mental toughness was assessed online using the Indonesian version of the 18-item Mental Toughness Questionnaire (MTQ-18), scored on a five-point Likert scale with reverse scoring for negatively worded items. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, including total score, mean, standard deviation, range, frequency, and percentage. The athletes obtained a mean score of 75.67 (SD = 8.97), with scores ranging from 59 to 87. Seven athletes (78%) were classified in the moderate category, two (22%) in the high category, and none in the low category. These findings indicate that the athletes possessed an adequate psychological foundation for managing competitive demands, although most had not yet reached an optimal level of mental toughness. Coaches should integrate systematic psychological skills training—particularly goal setting, imagery, self-talk, relaxation, and competition simulation—into routine practice. The results provide baseline evidence for designing psychological development programmes for university petanque athletes.