Personality and cognitive resilience in elite athletes: a HEXACO framework
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v79.117918Keywords:
Athlete wellbeing, emotional regulation, group cohesion, moral values in sport, psychosocial adaptationAbstract
Introduction: Cognitive resilience and ethical functioning are important psychological determinants of elite sport performance, influencing athletes’ stress regulation, motivation, and interpersonal behavior under competitive pressure. However, evidence from long-term and culturally specific interventions remains limited.
Objective: This study examined whether a culturally adapted psychological training program based on the HEXACO model was associated with longitudinal changes in personality traits and psychosocial functioning among elite athletes in Azerbaijan.
Methodology: A total of 100 elite athletes (18–35 years) from six sport disciplines were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 50) or a control group (n = 50). Personality traits were assessed at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months using an Azerbaijani-adapted 60-item HEXACO-PI-R with satisfactory reliability (α = .72–.83); the intervention included 24 HEXACO-based sessions over 6 months targeting emotional regulation, motivation, team cohesion, and moral values.
Discussion: The findings suggest that long-term, culturally grounded psychological training integrated with the HEXACO framework may be associated with gradual and context-sensitive changes in personality-related tendencies among elite athletes.
Conclusions: This study provides longitudinal evidence from a post-Soviet sport context, indicating that culturally adapted HEXACO-based interventions may support resilience, ethical functioning, and psychosocial development in elite sport settings.
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