Analysis of the associations between self-esteem and resilience of krav maga practitioners

Background. Resilience and self-esteem are psychological qualities that help to deal with conflicting situations of everyday life. The martial arts provide the integral development of the individual, contemplating physical and psychic aspects.Aim. To investigate resilience and self-esteem levels of Krav Maga practitioners.Methods. The sample comprised 399 practitioners (283 men and 112 women) associated with the South American Federation of Krav Maga. Resilience and self-esteem were assessed using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), respectively. Sociodemographic data were collected using a questionnaire.Results. Most of the sample was composed of post-graduates (38.8%) and the orange belt (21.4%). Male students showed higher values of age, time of practice, and self-esteem (p <0.05) when compared to female students. The Spearman correlation test showed a positive and significant association between self-esteem and resilience (rho = 0.552; p < 0.001). Schooling was related to self-esteem (rho = 0.313; p < 0.001) and resilience (rho = 0.142; p = 0.004). The longer practice time was associated with higher levels of resilience (rho = 0.173; p = 0.001) and self-esteem (rho = 0.207; p < 0.001).Conclusions. The regular practice of Krav Maga is associated with higher levels of self-esteem and resilience.