The aim of this study was to investigate the higher-order structure of mental toughness and to examine differences in mental toughness between athletes and non-athletes. Participants of this study - 927 athletes and 931 non-athletes - completed a battery of questionnaires designed to assess four characteristics of mental toughness: hope, optimism, perseverance and resilience. The higher-order structure of mental toughness was found to be the same for both athletes and non-athletes. The latent mean differences analyses showed that athletes scored higher in mental toughness when compared to non-athletes. Taken together, these findings support the theoretical assumption that mental toughness is a higher-order construct encompassing different characteristics and that sport participation is associated with higher mental toughness.
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