The Influence of Personality Traits and Stress Mindset on Resilience in Athletes: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

In competitive sports, athletes face high-pressure situations that challenge their capacity to maintain well-being and performance—a phenomenon known as resilience. This systematic literature review examines how personality traits and stress mindset influence athletic resilience and evaluates the potential for interventions to enhance these components. By synthesizing empirical metaanalyses, correlational studies, and intervention research from 2010–2025, we find that personality traits such as conscientiousness and extraversion (positively correlated with resilience, r ≈ 0.35 and 0.28, respectively) and a positive stress mindset (construing stress as an enhancing factor) significantly predict robust and rebound resilience in athletes. Interventions targeting personality (e.g., 15-week challenge programs) and stress mindset (e.g., brief reappraisal videos) show promise, with mindset changes being faster and more scalable. Limitations include small sample sizes and Western-centric studies, which may not fully generalize to diverse athletic populations like those in Shanghai. For instance, in competitive youth sports settings such as APAC competitions, these factors are observed to foster team resilience. This review proposes a future mixed-methods study to compare intervention efficacy in youth athletes, offering practical implications for coaches aiming to enhance performance and mental health in sports settings.