KNUST College of Health Sciences Celebrates Dr. Benjamin Asamoah on Earning PhD in Sport Science
The College of Health Sciences (CHS) of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) proudly celebrates Dr. Benjamin Asamoah of the Department of Physiotherapy and Sports Science, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, for successfully earning a PhD in Sport Science from Stellenbosch University, South Africa.
Dr. Asamoah’s doctoral research focused on mental toughness in sport, an area that continues to receive growing attention in sport science and athlete development. His work was supervised by H.W. Grobbelaar of Stellenbosch University and Adwoa Bemah Boamah Mensah of KNUST.
His research examined the contextual nature of situations that require mental toughness among athletes. The findings revealed that although certain performance pressures and challenges are common across sporting contexts, the way these pressures manifest and the degree of burden they place on athletes are strongly influenced by cultural, economic and systemic factors.
The study further emphasised that athletes from different regions experience and interpret competitive pressures through unique cultural and social lenses. As such, Dr. Asamoah’s work underscores the importance of developing culturally sensitive psychological support systems in sport, particularly for athletes from regions that remain underrepresented in sport science research.
By highlighting these contextual differences, the research calls for psychological frameworks and interventions that acknowledge diverse lived experiences and locally constructed meanings of resilience and mental toughness. This approach is crucial for better understanding and supporting athletes from sparsely researched environments.
The College of Health Sciences commends Dr. Asamoah for this significant academic achievement and for contributing valuable knowledge that advances the understanding of mental resilience in sport, particularly within emerging and underrepresented sporting contexts.
His accomplishment reflects the growing research capacity within the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences and reinforces KNUST’s commitment to producing impactful scholarship that addresses global and locally relevant challenges in sport and health sciences.
The CHS community congratulates Dr. Asamoah and wishes him continued success in his academic and research career.
