Researchers from have identified several modifiable factors that influence psychological resilience in female athletes and found that greater resilience may help protect against depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and high levels of perceived stress.

The findings, “Modifiable Risk Factors of Female Athlete Psychological Resilience and Mental Health: A Longitudinal Investigation,” published in Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, provide new insight into how resilience develops over time and offer a roadmap for future interventions designed to support the mental health and well-being of female athletes.

The study from researchers at LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Harvard Medical School, Trinity University, Michigan State University and Women’s Health, Sports and Performance Institute in Boston followed close to 400 female athletes from across the United States over a 12-month period. Researchers examined factors that could influence resilience, including emotion regulation, sleep quality, social support, experiential avoidance and intolerance of uncertainty. They also evaluated how resilience affected mental health outcomes over time.