Introduction: An undeniable threat to public health, the worldwide trend of sedentary living is facilitated by technological advances and sociopolitical shifts. This study aims to investigate the relationship between sports mental toughness and motivational persistence among recreational rowers in Türkiye, while examining the potential moderating effects of demographic factors such as age, gender, sports experience, income, and education.
Methods: This quantitative, cross-sectional survey utilized the Sports Mental Toughness Questionnaire, Motivational Persistence Scale, and a demographic questionnaire. A purposive sample of 492 recreational rowers from Türkiye was selected. Data was collected via Google Forms after briefings and analyzed using SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 24. Power analysis confirmed 115 participants sufficient for 95% confidence (p<0.05). Analyses included Mann-Whitney U tests, Kruskal-Wallis tests, Spearman correlation, and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM).
Results: Mental toughness and motivational persistence showed a significant positive correlation (Spearman’s r=0.429, p<0.01), driven by confidence (r=0.486, p<0.01) and constancy (r=0.502, p<0.01), strongly linked to current (r=0.541, p<0.01) and long-term goals (r=0.500, p<0.01).
Discussion and Conclusion: This study confirmed a moderate positive correlation (r=0.429, p<0.01) between mental toughness and motivational persistence, constancy with sports psychology literature. Confidence and constancy, unlike control (r=0.021, p>0.05), drive goal pursuit. Sports experience significantly impacts mental toughness (p<0.001) and affects motivational persistence (p=0.044). Non-moderating demographic factors highlight psychological factors’ role in rowing, supporting age- and gender-specific interventions. Longitudinal studies could explore relationships.
Keywords: Mental toughness; Motivation; Recreation; Rowing
, Gökalp Demir2 
