MTQ48 - The world's first occupational measure of Mental Toughness

The world's first occupational measure of "mental toughness" - MTQ48 - has been launched across the globe and is now available in South Africa. Distributed and marketed locally through Assessments Online, this remarkable online assessment tool is quick to administer, cost effective to run and provides instant, accurate reports with applications in development and recruitment.

Mental Toughness refers to an individual's resilience and inner drive to succeed, particularly when they find themselves in stressful or challenging circumstances.

AQR Ltd, based in Chester (UK), one of the world's leading developers of psychometric tests has created MTQ48 with expert support of Dr Peter Clough, Head of Psychology at Hull University. Together, they have created MTQ48 - a unique online a ssessment tool to enable people to identify their mental toughness and develop it appropriately.

Doug Strycharczyk, MD of AQR Ltd, said "Employees at all levels have to work to meet increasing demanding goals and targets, handling several pressures at one time, whilst responding to interruptions and sudden changes in expectation. The results generated by MTQ48 enable employers to develop strategies and tactics to help organisation and individuals perform under pressure - improving overall well-being in the work place and ultimately, creating a better working environment."

MTQ48 assesses the mental toughness of managers and employees alike. By measuring four core components: Control, Challenge, Commitment & Confidence, MTQ48 provides guidelines to managers and coaches on how they can develop the mental toughness of their team.

Importantly, MTQ48 can be used in the recruitment process to find people who are most suited to the role, reducing the risk of incidences of feeling stressed in the first place.

The global launch of MTQ48 coincides with the publication of the Samaritans Stressed Out Survey which has revealed that workplace stress is significantly increasing. According to the survey, an alarming 45 percent of men find work to be the largest cause of stress, together with 32 percent of women.

Dr Peter Clough, Head of Psychology at the University of Hull commented: "surveys like the Samaritans Stressed Out Survey demonstrate that more and more people feel that they are stressed. However this may reflect that people now are generally less able to deal with stressors than in the past and they feel freer to talk about stress. MTQ48 offers a way of finding out how people cope, or perhaps more interestingly, why they do not cope - and this in turn means that we can help people to develop their ability to deal with stressors.

MTQ48 measures how people react when faced with different stressors, including work place pressure, multi-tasking, physical and mental fatigue and social pressures. The fact that this measure is so valid and meaningful in the workplace means that MTQ48 enables managers to select the right people or to develop those who are struggling with the demands placed upon them."

Laura Kartus