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The Role of Mental Toughness and Academic Satisfaction in Suppressing First-Year Students' Intentions to Dropout of University

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Title: The Role of Mental Toughness and Academic Satisfaction in Suppressing First-Year Students' Intentions to Dropout of University
Language: English
Authors: Nuno Rodrigues (ORCID 0000-0002-3470-0887), Teresa Rebelo (ORCID 0000-0003-3380-0840), Naira Delgado Rodríguez (ORCID 0000-0003-0803-2667)
Source: European Journal of Psychology of Education. 2026 41(1).
Availability: Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 19
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Resilience (Psychology), College Freshmen, Intention, Potential Dropouts, Dropout Characteristics, Predictor Variables, Student Behavior, Student Attitudes, Student Satisfaction, Student Characteristics
DOI: 10.1007/s10212-026-01069-2
ISSN: 0256-2928
1878-5174
Abstract: The urgent need to reduce the substantial and persistent incidence of higher education dropout, especially during the first academic year, calls for further research to identify the core predictors of students' withdrawal intentions and actual behaviors. Specifically, more research is needed to assess whether and how students' personal resources and academic attitudes interplay in shaping this phenomenon. This study addresses these questions by examining the unexplored joint role of students' mental toughness and academic satisfaction in counteracting their intention to leave university at the end of the first year. Data from a sample of 187 first-year undergraduates at a non-residential public university, collected at three measurement points, supported the validity of both variables in predicting dropout intentions, after controlling for the effects of academic performance. The results also indicated that the effect of mental toughness in suppressing dropout intentions does not occur when students are dissatisfied with the university. The main implications of these findings are presented and discussed.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1504938
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Nuno+Rodrigues%22">Nuno Rodrigues</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3470-0887">0000-0002-3470-0887</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Teresa+Rebelo%22">Teresa Rebelo</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3380-0840">0000-0003-3380-0840</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Naira+Delgado+Rodríguez%22">Naira Delgado Rodríguez</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0803-2667">0000-0003-0803-2667</externalLink>)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22European+Journal+of+Psychology+of+Education%22"><i>European Journal of Psychology of Education</i></searchLink>. 2026 41(1).
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  Data: Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
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  Data: The urgent need to reduce the substantial and persistent incidence of higher education dropout, especially during the first academic year, calls for further research to identify the core predictors of students' withdrawal intentions and actual behaviors. Specifically, more research is needed to assess whether and how students' personal resources and academic attitudes interplay in shaping this phenomenon. This study addresses these questions by examining the unexplored joint role of students' mental toughness and academic satisfaction in counteracting their intention to leave university at the end of the first year. Data from a sample of 187 first-year undergraduates at a non-residential public university, collected at three measurement points, supported the validity of both variables in predicting dropout intentions, after controlling for the effects of academic performance. The results also indicated that the effect of mental toughness in suppressing dropout intentions does not occur when students are dissatisfied with the university. The main implications of these findings are presented and discussed.
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