1. Introduction
n addition to sports activities, athletes pursue university education related to their field of sport, i.e., known in the literature of sports psychology as the achievement of a dual goal [1]. Professional athletes have different psychological characteristics, compared to others; these characteristics can help them perform at their best in competition. Resilience is defined as a set of attitudes and behaviors that enable the athlete to overcome any pressure by effort and to concentrate on moving towards the goals [12]. Dark personality traits consist of Machiavellian traits, narcissism, and antisocial behavior. These traits are in a conceptual cluster due to having common dimensions, such as undesirable social nature, hypocrisy, the lack of empathy, aggression, self-centeredness, and deception [17]. Psychological wellbeing, along with reducing negative emotions and anxiety, helps the athlete to create a lively and desirable training environment and take a firm step towards increasing performance [28].
2. Materials and Methods
The present study was of a descriptive and correlational design. The study population included all physical education students of Guilan University in 2019. Of them, 200 student athletes were included in the study by convenience sampling method. The inclusion criteria of the study were healthy physical conditions, male gender, the age range of 18-40 years, and a history of sports activity in the last 2 years. The exclusion criteria included not belonging to the research community, a probationary history, presenting acute psychological problems, being able to answer the questions, and providing incomplete questionnaires. The following tools were employed in this study to collect the necessary data:
Resilience Scale for Athletes: This is a self-assessment tool, consisting of 14 items and 3 factors that measure thoughts and cognitions related to confidence, stability, and control. Each item is scored on a five-point Likert-type scale [33].  
The Dark Triad Personality Test: This scale was developed by Jonason and Webster [33] and includes 12 items and 3 factors: Machiavellianism, narcissism, and antisocial behavior. Besides, the tool measures these factors with 12 questions, answered on a 9-point Likert-type scale.
Psychological Wellbeing Scale: This scale was designed by Ryff in 1989 [23]. The 18-item form of this scale includes 6 factors of independence, mastery of the environment, personal growth, positive communication with others, purposefulness in life, and self-acceptance, i.e., graded on a 6-point Likert-type scale [24].
3. Results
Table 1 presents the descriptive indicators of research variables. 


Furthermore, the results of the Shapiro-Wilk test are reported to check the normality of the distribution of research variables (Table 1). The results of the Shapiro-Wilk test were not significant for all variables; thus, the distribution of the study variables was normal.
The results of the Pearson correlation coefficient indicated that Machiavellianism and antisocial behavior were significantly and negatively correlated with resilience (P<0.01). In contrast, narcissism, independence, mastery of the environment, personal growth, positive communication with others, purposefulness in life, and self-acceptance had a significant positive correlation with resilience (P<0.01).
Table 2 presents the results of examining the role of dark personality traits and psychological wellbeing in predicting resilience among the explored student athletes. 


The relevant results revealed that the correlation coefficient of predictor variables with the resilience of student-athletes equaled 0.78; these 9 variables could significantly predict 62% of changes in resilience (P<0.001). Moreover, antisocial behavior and Machiavellianism were able to negatively predict resilience in the study subjects. In contrast, self-acceptance, purposefulness in life, narcissism, personal growth, mastery of the environment, positive communication with others, and independence could positively and directly predict resilience among the study participants.
4. Discussion and Conclusion 
The present study data indicated a significant negative correlation between Machiavellian traits, antisocial behavior, and resilience. Furthermore, a significant positive correlation was found between narcissism and mental strength in the explored student athletes. In other words, individuals who achieved high scores in Machiavellianism and antisocial behavior only seek to satisfy their desires and do not pay attention to the rights of others, which in turn, causes instability in their behavior. In contrast, athletes with well-adjusted levels of narcissism strive to achieve their goals and act on their talents and abilities [15, 16, 17, 18]. In this regard, Unoe et al. [21] examined the correlation between competitive sports and dark personality traits; they concluded that the effects of gender, type of sports activity, and level of competition in which athletes are involved largely affect the total score of dark personality traits.
Additionally, the collected findings revealed a significant positive correlation between psychological wellbeing and resilience in the study participants. Athletes with high resilience remain more stable during professional sports, have confidence in their abilities, and strive to achieve their goals with concentration and perseverance [25]. They also can control their level of anxiety in stressful situations, like sports events, and present their best performance compared to other competitors [29]. In other words, all of these characteristics are prominent features of psychological wellbeing, such as purposefulness in life, personal growth, mastery of the environment, and self-acceptance. In this regard, Mikogulari and Ekmexi [26] examined the training of psychological skills in increasing resilience; they concluded that athletes with high levels of psychological wellbeing have better resilience during competitions.

Ethical Considerations
Compliance with ethical guidelines
This study was approved by Research Ethics Committee of Guilan University of Medical Sciences (Code: IR.GUMS.REC.1398.121). Research questionnaires were reviewed by the security and education management of Guilan School of Physical Education.

Funding
This research did not receive any grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or non-profit sectors. 

Authors' contributions
All authors participated in the preparation of this article and met the standard writing criteria based on the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Publishers (ICMJE).

Conflicts of interest
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
 

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