Factors affecting how well athletes perform mentally: The impact of optimism, pessimism, and mental well-being

Background This study examines the mediating role of optimism and pessimism on the effect of mental well-being on the psychological performance of active athletes. Method 739 licensed athletes actively competing in the province of Çanakkale participated in the study, comprising 413 men and 326 women aged between 18 and 35. Among the participants, 406 engaged in team sports, while 333 were involved in individual sports. Data were collected using the Mental Well-Being Scale, Psychological Performance Assessment Scale, Optimism Scale, and Pessimism Scale. Descriptive statistics, group comparisons, and correlation analyses were conducted using SPSS, while mediation analyses were performed using AMOS. The bootstrap confidence interval method was applied to test the significance of the observed effect sizes. Results The findings revealed that optimism and pessimism indirectly affected the relationship between mental well-being and psychological performance. Optimism positively influenced psychological performance, whereas pessimism negatively affected it. The analyses indicated that higher levels of mental well-being significantly and positively influenced psychological performance through optimism, while pessimism had a small to moderate negative impact. Conclusion These results suggest promoting optimism and reducing pessimism can enhance athletes' psychological performance. Furthermore, the findings indicate that enhancing athletes' mental well-being may indirectly improve psychological performance by fostering optimism and diminishing pessimism. Interventions centred on emotional regulation and adopting positive cognitive styles can bolster athletes' resilience, focus, and confidence under pressure. Integrating such strategies into mental training programmes may provide a practical means to optimise performance outcomes in competitive sports environments.