Ari Kurniawan, Endang Rini Sukamti, Rumpis Agus Sudarko, Tomoliyus, Trisnar Adi Prabowo
This study aimed to examine the relationship between hardness personality, problem-focused coping, and pre-competition stress among semi-professional soccer players. This quantitative study used a survey method with a correlational design. The sample consisted of 134 male soccer players aged 18–23 years who participated in the Division II Ascab PSSI tournament in Kulon Progo Regency, Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Hardiness personality was measured using the Personal Views Survey III-R, problem-focused coping was measured using selected dimensions of the Brief COPE, and pre-competition stress was measured using the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory-2 Revised. The main analysis was conducted using SEM-PLS with SmartPLS 3.2.9, while exploratory supplementary team-level regression analysis was performed using SPSS 27. The SEM-PLS measurement model showed that all indicators had outer loading values above .70, and the constructs demonstrated adequate reliability and convergent validity. The SRMR value of 0.058 indicated acceptable approximate model fit. The structural model showed that hardness personality was significantly associated with pre-competition stress (t = 3.976, p < .001), and problem-focused coping was also significantly associated with pre-competition stress (t = 5.024, p < .001). The exploratory team-level regression analysis showed consistent significant relationships across the six teams, with R^2 values ranging from 0.259 to 0.509. Hardiness personality and problem-focused coping are important psychological factors associated with pre-competition stress in semi-professional soccer players. These findings support the development of mental training programs that strengthen psychological resilience and active coping strategies in semi-professional soccer contexts. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Faculty of Sports and Health Sciences, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia; Faculty of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Education, Study Program of Physical Education, Universitas Muhammadiyah Brebes, Brebes, Indonesia
