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Abstract

Engagement is an active, work-related positive psychological state characterized by the intensity and direction of cognitive (CE), emotional (EE), and behavioral (BE) energy toward performance, well-being, and resilience outcomes in high-pressure environments. Mental toughness (MT), the capacity to consistently perform under pressure, may help increase engagement. As the professionalization of college athletics advances, athletes increasingly function as employees, requiring full psychological engagement. This study is the first to examine the effectiveness of an MT intervention on athlete engagement. PURPOSE: To examine the effectiveness of an MT intervention on athlete engagement, measured across CE, EE, and BE domains, as well as overall engagement (OE). METHODS: A convenience sample of female collegiate dancers (N = 35) participated in a structured, weekly MT intervention, with engagement assessed weekly at five time points (T1–T5). MT was measured using the Mental Toughness Index, while engagement was assessed using the Employee Engagement Scale. Linear mixed-effects models (LMMs), implemented in Python (v3.10) using Statsmodels (v0.14), accounted for within-subject correlations and repeated measures. Separate LMMs were conducted for OE as well as each engagement subscale to examine their unique relationships with MT over time. The models included MT Total, Time, and their interaction as fixed effects, with random intercepts by participant ID. Assumption checks confirmed normality (Shapiro-Wilk p = .006), no autocorrelation (Durbin-Watson = 1.95), and acceptable multicollinearity (VIF < 6). Ordinary Least Squares regressions produced comparable results. Restricted Maximum Likelihood Estimation was used for model fitting. Results were interpreted considering engagement trends and increasing academic and dance-related pressures. The intervention remains ongoing, and all key MT dimensions have not yet been covered. RESULTS: MT significantly predicted higher OE (p = .005, β = 0.340), with the strongest effects observed for BE (p < .001, β = 0.250) and EE (p = .035, β = 0.119). However, CE declined significantly over time (p = .021, β = -2.496), despite the intervention. Additionally, OE exhibited a significant downward trend over time (p < .001, β = -0.690), suggesting external factors may have contributed to this decline. Time did not significantly influence OE (p = .167), and MT × Time interactions were non-significant (p = .499), indicating that the effect of MT on engagement remained stable over time. CONCLUSION: The MT intervention effectively enhanced EE, fostering belonging and commitment to the team, and personal connection to their role. Additionally, BE increased, indicating a greater willingness to exert extra effort contributing to team success. However, OE declined over time, likely due to increasing academic and dance-related demands, despite rising MT levels. CE's decline highlights the need for targeted interventions to maintain focus. Upcoming MT sessions will address additional key variables, such as attention regulation, which may further enhance engagement. Our work serves as an exploratory, hypothesis-generating investigation, laying the foundation for future research on MT-driven engagement interventions in sports and other high-pressure contexts.

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