{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,15]],"date-time":"2026-10-15T17:09:09Z","timestamp":1792084149835,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1790726400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Psychol."],"abstract":"\n Background<\/jats:title>\n Self-control, self-defense self-efficacy, and mental resilience are fundamental psychological determinants of performance and competitive endurance in combat sports. However, scientific evidence on structured, evidence-based psychological intervention programs for professional female wrestlers remains limited. This study examined the effects of a psychological skills training (PST)-based intervention on self-control, self-defense self-efficacy, and mental resilience in professional female wrestlers.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n \n A randomized controlled pre-test\u2013post-test design was employed. Thirty-six professional female wrestlers (aged 18\u201325) were randomly assigned to a PST group (\n n<\/jats:italic>\n = 18) or a control group (CG;\n n<\/jats:italic>\n = 18). The PST group completed an 8-week structured psychological intervention alongside regular training, while the CG continued routine training only. Self-control, self-defense self-efficacy, and mental resilience were assessed pre- and post-intervention using valid and reliable psychometric scales. Data were analyzed via repeated-measures ANOVA, with effect sizes calculated.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n \n Significant group \u00d7 time interactions were observed across multiple outcomes. A highly significant interaction emerged for perceived physical self-defense capacity (SP;\n F<\/jats:italic>\n (1,34) = 56.525,\n p<\/jats:italic>\n &lt; 0.001, \u03b7p\n 2<\/jats:sup>\n = 0.624) and for DP scores (\n F<\/jats:italic>\n (1,34) = 9.360,\n p<\/jats:italic>\n = 0.004, \u03b7p\n 2<\/jats:sup>\n = 0.216). Among self-control subscales, significant interactions were found for inhibition (\n F<\/jats:italic>\n (1,34) = 8.172,\n p<\/jats:italic>\n = 0.007, \u03b7p\n 2<\/jats:sup>\n = 0.194) and, more strongly, for initiation (\n F<\/jats:italic>\n (1,34) = 14.157,\n p<\/jats:italic>\n &lt; 0.001, \u03b7p\n 2<\/jats:sup>\n = 0.294). For mental resilience, highly significant interactions were detected for confidence (\n F<\/jats:italic>\n (1,34) = 59.976,\n p<\/jats:italic>\n &lt; 0.001, \u03b7p\n 2<\/jats:sup>\n = 0.638), control (\n F<\/jats:italic>\n (1,34) = 32.486,\n p<\/jats:italic>\n &lt; 0.001, \u03b7p\n 2<\/jats:sup>\n = 0.489), and persistence (\n F<\/jats:italic>\n (1,34) = 32.709,\n p<\/jats:italic>\n &lt; 0.001, \u03b7p\n 2<\/jats:sup>\n = 0.490). Overall, the intervention demonstrated medium-to-high effect sizes across psychological performance indicators.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n These findings suggest that PST may serve as a useful complementary approach for enhancing self-control, perceived physical self-defense capacity, and mental toughness in professional female wrestlers. However, results should not be interpreted as evidence of improved competitive wrestling performance, technical success, or objectively measured physical self-defense ability, as these outcomes were not directly assessed in this study.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2026.1956445","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]],"date-time":"2026-09-30T04:48:52Z","timestamp":1790743732000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Effects of psychological skills training on self-control, perceived physical self-defense capacity, and mental toughness in elite female wrestlers: a randomized controlled trial"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Varol","family":"Tutal","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Health Sciences, Malatya Turgut \u00d6zal University","place":["Malatya, T\u00fcrkiye"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Okan","family":"Demir","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"\u015eiran Mustafa Beyaz Vocational School, G\u00fcm\u00fc\u015fhane University","place":["G\u00fcm\u00fc\u015fhane, T\u00fcrkiye"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Oktay","family":"\u015eahin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Sport Sciences, G\u00fcm\u00fc\u015fhane University","place":["G\u00fcm\u00fc\u015fhane, T\u00fcrkiye"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ahmet Y\u0131lmaz","family":"Albayrak","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Sport Sciences, G\u00fcm\u00fc\u015fhane University","place":["G\u00fcm\u00fc\u015fhane, T\u00fcrkiye"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mehmet","family":"Bayansalduz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Sports Sciences, Topkap\u0131 University","place":["\u0130stanbul, T\u00fcrkiye"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Recep Nur","family":"Uzun","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Ya\u015far Do\u011fu Faculty of Sport Sciences, Ondokuz May\u0131s University","place":["Samsun, T\u00fcrkiye"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Faik","family":"\u00d6z","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Sport Sciences, Avrasya University","place":["Trabzon, T\u00fcrkiye"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yunus","family":"\u015eahinler","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Sport Sciences, \u0130stanbul Gelisim University","place":["\u0130stanbul, T\u00fcrkiye"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Levent","family":"Ceylan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Sport Sciences, Hitit University","place":["\u00c7orum, T\u00fcrkiye"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Co\u015fkun","family":"Y\u0131lmaz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Sport Sciences, G\u00fcm\u00fc\u015fhane University","place":["G\u00fcm\u00fc\u015fhane, T\u00fcrkiye"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"102267","DOI":"10.1016\/j.psychsport.2022.102267","article-title":"What do we know about the effects of mental training applied to combat sports? 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