Stress and Coping in Esports and the Influence of Mental Toughness

A recent study published in Frontiers in Psychology, “Stress and Coping in Esports and the Influence of Mental Toughness,” has demonstrated that top esports athletes exhibit similar coping mechanisms for stress as top athletes, such as Olympians, in “traditional sports.” The study from the Queensland University of Technology analyzed mental skills and coping mechanisms based on mental toughness scores. In all sports, the ability to cope with stressors in a positive way, such as employing a growth mindset, is a key factor in determining performance.

The esports players involved in the study play League of Legends, Rainbow Siege, Overwatch, Defense of the Ancients 2, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Through a series of surveys, the researchers were able to determine each athletes’ Mental Toughness score. The esports players with greater Mental Toughness were more likely to employ problem-based coping strategies in stressful situations, which correlated with high-performing athletes in traditional sports.

Those who scored higher on the Mental Toughness indicators can be described “as having an unshakable faith in their abilities to control their own destiny and an increased ability to remain in control under pressure” which indicates “that more mentally tough esports athletes have increased levels of perceived control over a stressor.” The most successful esports athletes have higher Mental Toughness scores, just as is perceived in traditional sports athletes.

The overlapping coping strategies between esports athletes and traditional athletes indicate that from a psychological standpoint, high-performance players have high Mental Toughness scores. Further research will be focused on particular games to account for differences in the skillset required for each game. For now, upcoming esports athletes should focus on building their Mental Toughness, as it is an important factor that can play a role in their success.