biostudies-literatureUnknown15(1)Shen YQIn the literature on high-competition sports, some evidence has been suggested regarding the relationships between athletes' grit, self-regulation, competition preparation, and confidence. However, there has been a lack of integrated approaches to examine the relationships among these variables, and the performance level of athletes have not been considered. Therefore, this study (a) analyzed the structural relationships between grit, self-regulation, competition preparation, and confidence, and (b) investigated how these relationships vary according to athletes' performance levels. Participants were 270 student-athletes (209 males, 61 females) from various sports, all of whom were involved in highly competitive sports in South Korea. Athletes who had won at least one national-level competScientific reports31111https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12375784biostudies-literatureDifferences in the relationship among grit, self-regulation, competition preparation, and sport confidence across performance levels: a multi-group analysis.PMC12375784Sim YKShen YQBang IJSeo JPBae JfalseDifferences in the relationship among grit, self-regulation, competition preparation, and sport confidence across performance levels: a multi-group analysis.In the literature on high-competition sports, some evidence has been suggested regarding the relationships between athletes' grit, self-regulation, competition preparation, and confidence. However, there has been a lack of integrated approaches to examine the relationships among these variables, and the performance level of athletes have not been considered. Therefore, this study (a) analyzed the structural relationships between grit, self-regulation, competition preparation, and confidence, and (b) investigated how these relationships vary according to athletes' performance levels. Participants were 270 student-athletes (209 males, 61 females) from various sports, all of whom were involved in highly competitive sports in South Korea. Athletes who had won at least one national-level compet2025-01-01T00:00:00Z2025 Aug2026-05-09T10:43:59.163Z2026-04-08T00:48:03.682ZS-EPMC123757844085099410.1038/s41598-025-16448-w