The International Journal of Indian Psychology

ISSN 2348-5396 (Online) | ISSN: 2349-3429 (Print)

Volume 12, Issue 1, January- March, 2024
DIP: 18.01.197.20241201, DOI: 10.25215/1201.197
https://www.ijip.in
Research Paper

Age and Resilience Dynamics in University Women Cricketers':

Implications for Cricketing Performance
Mr. Amrit Kumar Mahato1*, Dr. Abhijit Thander2

ABSTRACT
Background: Understanding the psychological resilience of athletes, particularly young
female cricketers, is crucial for their success and well-being in competitive sports. This study
investigates the relationship between age, resilience, and sports performance among
university women cricket players. Methods: A descriptive study focused on female cricketers
aged 18 to 25 selected for the East Zone inter-university women's cricket coaching camp. A
brief Resilience Scale was used to measure psychological resilience. The snowball sampling
method was used to find participants. It resulted in a sample size of 25. Results: Descriptive
statistics revealed that most players exhibited normal to higher levels of resilience, with mean
BRS scores falling within the normal resilience range. On average, older players tended to
have higher resilience levels, indicating a positive correlation be-tween age and resilience.
Graphical representation further illustrated the direct proportion-ality between age and
resilience. Conclusion: This study contributes to understanding age and resilience dynamics
among young female cricketers, highlighting the importance of resilience in sports success.
The results emphasize the necessity of specialized interventions to boost athletes'
psychological toughness and improve their competitive sports performance.

Keywords: Psychological Resilience, Athletes, Age, Sports Performance, Brief Resilience

Scale, Female Cricketers

P ossessing physical and psychological capacity is crucial when playing competitive

sports. The player's capacity for adaptation and adjustment is frequently the primary
factor determining win or defeat, particularly in close matches with the opposition.

Since the 1970s, the number of girls participating in sports has increased steadily(Senne,
2016), driving the need to understand athletes' psychology better (Herrero et al., 2021).
Participating in sports has several advantages. Participating in sports can have a positive
psychological influence, improve physical health (Kaestner & Xu, 2010), and reduce the use
of substances(Sabo et al., 2005).

1
Research Scholar, Cricket Research Centre, Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, Visva-
Bharati (Central University), West Bengal, India
2
Assistant Professor, Cricket Research Centre, Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, Visva-
Bharati (Central University), West Bengal, India
*Corresponding Author
Received: March 08, 2024; Revision Received: March 16, 2024; Accepted: March 20, 2024
© 2024, Mahato, A.K. & Thander, A.; licensee IJIP. This is an Open Access Research distributed under the terms
of the Creative Commons Attribution License (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits
unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any Medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
 Age and Resilience Dynamics in University Women Cricketers': Implications for Cricketing
Performance

Athletes who want to reach high-performance levels must first build resilience (experiencing
adversity and positively adapting to that adversity)(Collins & Ine Macnamara, n.d.).
Suppose young female athletes do not learn healthy coping mechanisms for adversity in
sports. In that case, they may face unfavorable developmental outcomes like poor
relationships with coaches, negative peer pressure, parental pressure, and the problematic
psychological environment of competitive sports.(Fraser-Thomas & Côté, 2009; Theokas,
2009)

Resilience is the process and result of effectively adjusting to trying or demanding situations
in life, particularly by displaying mental, emotional, and behavioral flexibility and adapting
to demands from both the inside and the outside. (Resilience, n.d.)

Over the years, many cricket teams and individuals have displayed incredible tenacity,
overcoming multiple difficulties and failures to succeed. The Indian team's historic Test
series victory against Australia in 2020–21 is one recent example of resiliency in cricket.
Numerous difficulties experienced by the Indian team included injuries, quarantine
limitations, racial insults, and adverse conditions. Not only on the team but also on
individual players such as Yuvraj Singh displayed tenacity by overcoming cancer and
returning to international cricket in 2012(Mahato Amrit, 2023)

A young female athlete who plays sports must contend with complicated, ambiguous, and
limiting norms and ideas such as (gender inequality and discrimination, body image,
disordered eating, energy deficiency, fatigue and poor sleep, and mental distress) that may
impact their health and performance.(Lunde & Gattario, 2017) Feu factors that may increase
psychological resilience such as adversity and positive adaptation stress coping ability,
supportive athletic environments(McManama O'Brien et al., 2021)

Athletes' performance in sports might also suffer when they are under a lot of stress, such as
expectations, game pressure, umpire mistakes, etc. When athletes are under pressure, they
should be aware of their stress and select and employ coping mechanisms to help them
manage it(Dugdale Jeremy R. et al., 2002). The athlete's potential for psychological
resilience is intimately linked to this skill. It follows that many athletes should be able to
handle the competitive environment and crisis impact it creates easily, feel less burnout, and
have a high degree of success motivation, all of which are reflected in their success in sports.
Many successful elite athletes pass away before their time due to psychological issues that
the athletes find challenging to manage, such as low motivation, stress, high anxiety, and
self-confidence problems. (Özdemir, 2019)

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 Age and Resilience Dynamics in University Women Cricketers': Implications for Cricketing
Performance

METHODOLOGY
Design and Participants
The researcher conducted a descriptive study. The study focused on cricketers aged between
18 to 25 who were active competitors. The researcher used the snowball sampling technique,
selecting the sample based on personal contacts and social networks, using a nonprobability
and incidental approach. Twenty-five 25 samples were collected for those selected for the
East Zone inter-university women's cricket coaching camp.

Inclusion criterion:
• Those who have been selected for inter-university cricket coaching camp.
• Those who have come under the age of 18-25.

Exclusion criterion:
• Those who have not been selected for inter-university cricket coaching camp.

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 Age and Resilience Dynamics in University Women Cricketers': Implications for Cricketing
Performance

• Those who are under 18 or over 25 years are not selected.

• The incomplete survey was excluded.

Variable and measure

The Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) is used to measure psychological resilience. Brief
Resilience Scale (Smith et al., 2008) is a reliable and valid questionnaire for assessing
resilience. The Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) consists of 6 questions. Items 1, 3, and 5 all use
positive language, whereas items 2, 4, and 6 all use negative language, and the mean of the
six items is calculated to determine the BRS score. The scale is administered according to
the guidelines below: Please use the following scale to indicate how much you agree with
each of the following statements: 1-strongly disagree, 2-disagree, 3-neutral,4-agree, 5-
strongly agree.

Scoring: Your answers' values (1–5) for each of the six items add up to a range of 6–30. To
find your final score, divide the total by the number of questions that were answered (6).
BRS Score Interpretation
1.00 - 2.99 Low resilience
3.00 - 4.30 Normal resilience
4.31 - 5.00 High resilience

Procedure
The completed survey was converted into a Google Forms questionnaire, which was then
posted and distributed on the Google online survey platform. A link to the Google forms
was distributed to personal contacts via WhatsApp. After getting the BRS score, they were
categorized according to their BRS score interpretation(Smith et al., 2008) cut-off points:
Low resilience group, Medium resilience group, and High resilience Group.

Statistical Analysis
The arithmetic mean (M) was used to describe the data. MS Excel was used to perform
statistical analysis.

RESULT & DISCUSSION

Table 1 Descriptive statistics of psychological resilience of university women cricket
players
Mean of Age and BRS score
Low resilience Normal resilience High resilience
N 6 13 6
Age 19 19.69 23
BRS score 2.74 3.33 4.27

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 Age and Resilience Dynamics in University Women Cricketers': Implications for Cricketing
Performance

Figure-1 Graphical representation of psychological resilience of University women cricket

players
25 5
23
4.5
19.69
20 19 4.46 4
3.5
15 3.33 3
13
2.5
2.74
10 2

6 6 1.5
5 1
0.5
0 0
Low resilience Normal resilience High resilience
N 6 13 6
Age 19 19.69 23
BRS score 2.74 3.33 4.46

Table 1 represents the mean of age group and BRS score. Twenty-five valid subjects were
there, and out of 25, 6 subjects came to the low resilience group (1.00 - 2.99) as per their
BRS score interpretation cut-off points, which, mentioned by (Smith et al., 2008) and their
mean BRS score was 2.74 and age mean was 19, 13 subjects came to medium
resilience(3.00 – 4.30) group and there mean of BRS score was 3.33 and age mean 19.69
and 6 subjects came to High resilience group ( 4.31 – 5.00 ). The mean of the BRS score
was 4.46, and the age mean was 23.

• Low resilience: BRS scores falling between 1.00 and 2.99 indicate low levels of
resilience. Individuals within this range may struggle to cope with stressors and may
have difficulty bouncing back from setbacks.
• Normal resilience: BRS scores ranging from 3.00 to 4.30 suggest normal levels of
resilience. Individuals within this range typically demonstrate adequate coping skills
and can effectively manage moderate stress levels.
• High resilience: BRS scores falling between 4.31 and 5.00 indicate high levels of
resilience. Individuals in this range tend to be highly adaptable, effectively cope with
significant stressors, and demonstrate solid emotional stability and perseverance.

The mean BRS score of 3.33 falls within the range for Normal resilience (3.00 - 4.30),
indicating that, on average, individuals in the dataset demonstrate normal levels of resilience
based on the BRS score interpretation cut-off points (Smith et al., 2008). Since earlier
research also revealed normal psychological resilience and participation in sports, the mean
discovered in this study would be consistent with existing findings.(Blanco-García et al.,
2021; Kyriazos et al., 2018; Mira et al., 2023).

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 Age and Resilience Dynamics in University Women Cricketers': Implications for Cricketing
Performance

(Onturk et al., 2020; Orlando et al., 2017) When examining samples of judo competitors and
university students from the Faculty of Sport Sciences, they discovered that males had
considerably greater resilience levels than females.

The literature is generally in agreement that there is a favorable correlation between sports
performance and resilience(Belem et al., 2014; Fletcher & Sarkar, 2012; Galli & Vealey,
2008; Hosseini & Besharat, 2010; Meggs et al., 2015; Yang et al., 2019). This study
correlates with one of the two studies identified, wherein potential variations in resilience
levels were examined in relation to the athletes' level of competition(Castro Sánchez et al.,
2016; Patsiaouras, 2021).

According to these authors, resilience and age positively correlate (Codonhato et al., 2018;
Rodríguez-Rey, 2016). The correlation between age and resilience could be a result that
aligns with the notion of resilience itself. It is believed that older people have encountered
more adversities in various life circumstances, which may have increased their resilience,
assuming that building resilience is a process that takes place over time and depends on
lived experiences.

This study was conducted on a squad from the university having 25 girls. Out of them, 16
were selected for inter-university cricket teams. The assessment of this study demarcates
that players with higher BRS scores, i.e., the Resilience determinate factor, have also been
established. The mean age of 19.69 years showed normal to higher resilience and has been
selected. So, this study suggested that age and resilience are correlated to each other as with
an increase in age, resilience seems to increase, improving sports performance.

The graph recorded the direct proportionality of age and resilience. There are supporting
studies that have cofounded and proven the results of this study to be accurate, as mentioned
above.

We think the study's findings also offer helpful information from a practical standpoint for
coaches, psychologists, physical trainers, sports medicine specialists, and other support
personnel involved in competitive sports. According to this study, focusing on all those
protective elements may help the athlete manage stressors and, as a result, perform better
when faced with challenges in a competitive setting.

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the study conducted on a squad of university girls, specifically focusing on
those selected for the inter-university cricket team, revealed several significant findings
regarding the relationship between age, resilience, and sports performance.

Firstly, the analysis of the subjects' Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) scores indicated that most
players demonstrated normal to higher levels of resilience, with a mean BRS score falling
within the normal resilience range. This finding aligns with existing literature, suggesting a
positive correlation between sports participation and resilience levels. Additionally, the
selection of players with higher BRS scores for the cricket team supports the notion that
resilience is a determinant factor in athlete selection, indicating its importance in sports
performance.

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 Age and Resilience Dynamics in University Women Cricketers': Implications for Cricketing
Performance

Secondly, the study highlighted a correlation between age and resilience, with older players
exhibiting higher levels of resilience on average. This finding is consistent with the idea that
resilience is a dynamic trait that may develop over time through exposure to various life
experiences and challenges. The positive correlation between age and resilience underscores
the importance of considering age-related factors in understanding and fostering resilience
among athletes.

Furthermore, the graph depicting the relationship between age and resilience indicated a
direct proportionality, providing visual evidence to support the study's findings. This
graphical representation reinforces the notion that age is a significant factor influencing
resilience levels among athletes.

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Acknowledgment
The author(s) appreciates all those who participated in the study and helped to facilitate the
research process.

Conflict of Interest
The author(s) declared no conflict of interest.

How to cite this article: Mahato, A.K. & Thander, A. (2024). Age and Resilience Dynamics
in University Women Cricketers': Implications for Cricketing Performance. International
Journal of Indian Psychology, 12(1), 2180-2188. DIP:18.01.197.20241201, DOI:10.25215/1
201.197

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