Determinants of self-efficacy in wrestling coaches: psychological resilience and proactive personality

Abstract

Background and objective – Coaching efficacy is a key psychological resource influencing coaches’ professional effectiveness and leadership behaviors in sports. Identifying individual characteristics that contribute to coaching efficacy is especially important in high-demand sports like wrestling. This study aimed to examine relationships between self-efficacy, psychological resilience, and proactive personality among wrestling coaches, and to determine the predictive roles of resilience and proactive personality on coaching self-efficacy. Methods – A quantitative relational survey design was employed. The sample included 116 active wrestling coaches from Eskişehir, Kütahya, Tokat, and Konya. Data were collected using the Coaching Efficacy Scale II, Psychological Resilience Scale III-R, and Short Proactive Personality Scale, all adapted into Turkish. Analyses were performed with SPSS 23.0, including Pearson correlation, multiple regression, one-way ANOVA. Results – Significant positive relationships were found between coaching self-efficacy, psychological resilience, and proactive personality. Multiple regression analysis indicated that psychological resilience (β = .42) and proactive personality (β = .38) significantly predicted coaching self-efficacy, collectively explaining 46% of the variance (R = .68, R2 = .46, p < .001). Conclusion – Enhancing psychological resilience and proactive personality is crucial for strengthening wrestling coaches’ self-efficacy perceptions. Improving these psychological resources can enhance professional effectiveness, leadership behaviors, and positively influence athletes. These findings offer valuable implications for coach education programs and applied sport psychology interventions.