An Examination of the Sport Commitment Model for Athletes With Physical Disabilities

Sport commitment describes a psychological attachment to a sport that influences one's desire or resolve to continue involvement in it. Studying antecedents believed to influence long term commitment to sport among athletes with a disability will help ensure that participants gain those psychosocial and health outcomes from sport participation that benefit quality of life. Our purposes in this study were: (i) to examine the Sport Commitment Model (SCM) in terms of the magnitude of the contribution of antecedent factors (i.e., enjoyment, personal investment, involvement opportunities, social constraints, involvement alternatives) to sport commitment of athletes with disabilities; and (ii) to examine the model structure (i.e., original SCM, mediation, and direct/indirect model) that best reflects an understanding of the sport commitment antecedents for these athletes. A total of 157 adult athletes (M age = 34.87, SD = 11.78) with physical disabilities from both team and individual sports across the United States, Europe, and Asia completed the Sport Commitment Questionnaire. Data analyses indicated that sport involvement opportunities, followed by personal investment, were the strongest predictors of these athletes' sport commitments (R2 = .66). Based on the principle of parsimony, the original structural equation model (χ2 (215) = 384.95; RMSEA = .07; CFI = .95; SRMR = .06) was deemed better for understanding the mechanism of sport commitment than the mediation or direct/indirect models. We address implications of applying the SCM to athletes with disabilities, and we offer suggestions for future research.

Association Between Hormonal Status, Stress, Recovery, and Motivation of Paralympic Swimmers

Purpose: The present study aimed to investigate associations between hormonal profile (cortisol and testosterone) and the psychobiological aspects of Paralympic athletes during a competitive season. Method: Male Brazilian Paralympic swimmers (n = 11) were evaluated in three Training Camps (TC) during the cycle of training for the Paralympic Games RIO 2016. Questionnaires were used for data collection of stress and recovery, motivation in sport and hormonal status was assessed by salivary samples of cortisol ([Csal]) and testosterone ([Tsal]) concentrations. The Friedman test was used to identify overall significant differences at the three TC for each variable. When the overall p value indicated statistical significance (p < .05), a post hoc Wilcoxon signed-rank test for paired data was used to compare pairs of TC. The Spearman correlation was used to identify associations between the hormonal profile and the psychobiological aspects. Results: There was an association between the [Csal] and the "Conflicts/Pressure" sub-scale (r = 0.60; p = .04) in TC1 and the "Lack of Energy" subscale (r = 0.63; p = .03) in TC2. In the TC3, there were correlations between [Tsal] and "To Know" intrinsic motivation (r = 0.83, p < .01), "Objectives"(r = 0.66, p < .02), "Experiences" (r = 0.65, p < .02) and "Amotivation" (r = -0.70, p = .01). There were also associations between the [Tsal] and the "Social Recovery" (r = 0.77, p < .01), "General Wellness" (r = 0.73, p < .01), "Sleep Quality" (r = 0.63, p = .03) and "Self-efficacy" (r = 0.60, p = .05) subscales. In TC3, there was an association between [Tsal] and the "Success" (r = 0.61, p = .04), "Sleep Quality" (r = 0.62, p = .03), "Personal Accomplish" (r = 0.82, p < .01), "Self-efficacy" (r = 0.82, p < .05), "Self-regulation" (r = 0.85, p < .01) and "Physical Recovery" (r = 0.80, p < .01) subscales. The data demonstrate associations between biomarkers (salivary testosterone and cortisol) and psychobiological domains of Paralympic swimmers.

Quality of life, concern of falling and satisfaction of the sit-ski aid in sit-skiers with spinal cord injury: observational study

STUDY DESIGN

Observational study.

OBJECTIVE

To describe (1) user satisfaction, (2) the Quality of Life (QoL) and (3) fear of falling in individuals with tetraplegia or paraplegia who used a mono-ski for sit-skiing.

SETTING

Spinal units and Sport associations.

METHODS

An observational study of people with spinal cord injury (SCI) who used a sit-ski. Participants were recruited in various SCI rehabilitation centers and sport associations. Participants completed three assessment tools: the Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with assistive Technology (QUEST 2.0); the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQoL-BREF); the Spinal Cord Injury Fall Concern Scale (SCI-FCS). Results were evaluated with chi-squared test and Kolmogorov-Smirnov's test and the significance was set for p values < 0.05.

RESULTS

Fifteen participants were included. Results showed positive and statistically significant values for all the items of the SCI-FCS related to fear of falling, and for most of the items of the WHOQoL-BREF related to QoL and the QUEST 2.0 related to satisfaction with the device.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlights that sit skiing is correlated with high levels of satisfaction with the mono-ski, increases in QoL, and low levels of fear of falling. In adding these findings to the existent literature, it can be stated with more certainty that sit-skiing is a sport that can be recommended in rehabilitation and sports therapy programs.

Insights on the apparel needs and limitations for athletes with disabilities: The design of wheelchair rugby sports-wear

Wheelchair rugby is a sport that has been gaining popularity with athletes with disabilities. However, as it is relatively new and not played by the masses, market specific sports-wear is not available for this sport, which impacts directly on performance and clothing satisfaction of the athletes. Therefore, the main objective of this research was to identify the problems that wheelchair rugby players face with the sports-wear they use for playing the game. The data was collected using a focus group and a questionnaire with 61 wheelchair rugby players in the United Kingdom. Based on their suggestions, on the team expertise, and on the literature, a set of design recommendations was proposed for the upper body garments (tops), lower body garments (bottoms), and gloves. The results demonstrated that the gloves currently available negatively impact on players' ability to participate with satisfactory levels of protection and comfort. Moreover, tops and bottoms also present issues, mainly in the fit and ability to regulate the core body temperature. Hence, the recommendations proposed can provide designers with key information on the specific sports-wear requirements and allow them to design and develop products that can satisfy real needs of specific end-users. This paper intends to raise awareness of the needs of sports-wear for those playing wheelchair rugby and promote the inclusivity of athletes with disabilities.

[Criteria for granting permission for disabled persons to participate in the Ready for Labor and Defense training program]

Rehabilitation, adaptation, and social integration of the disabled are the priority issues of social welfare policy in the Russian Federation. This includes the enhancement of availability ofphysical education and adapted sports programs. One of the best practices for the improvement ofphysical activity among the population is the "Ready for labour and defense" training system (GTO). However, it is not adapted for those with physical challenges and disabilities. To involve this special fraction of the population in physical activity and participation in the GTO system, disability groups eligible for this activity need to be identified. They can include individuals with visual (VI), intellectual (II), hearing (HI), and locomotor problems as well as those with transplanted organs (TO). Also, minimum disability criteria (MDC) for the participants from each group which would make them eligible to practice an adapted GTO system should be defined. The development of MDC for individuals with VI, II, HI, and TO is relatively easy as they are common for most adapted sports. However, it remains a challenge for persons with locomotor problems since they make up a very diverse group bearing in mind that the rules of the International Paralympic Committee envisage different MDC for different adapted sports. There are two possible solutions: (1) to develop specialized MDC for each sport discipline included in the GTO system, (2) to develop universal MDC for all disciplines. The next step in promoting the GTO system among individuals with physical challenges and disabilities will be the development of the para- GTO program that would be unique and adapted for all categories of the disabled individuals.

Psychosocial impact of involvement in the Special Olympics

Existing evidence suggests that people with intellectual disabilities are vulnerable to low self-esteem leading to additional psychosocial issues such as social exclusion and stress. Previous research into the involvement of Special Olympics (SO) of people with intellectual disabilities has indicted positive psychosocial outcomes. Involvement in sport is known generally to have psychological and social benefits. This study aimed to compare the psychosocial impact of involvement in sport through the SO to no or limited sports involvement, for a sample of people with intellectual disabilities. A cross sectional design was employed comparing three groups, SO, Mencap Sports, and Mencap No Sports on the variables: Self-esteem, quality of life, stress levels and social networks. One hundred and one participants were recruited either through the SO or Mencap. Data were collected through the completion of validated questionnaires by one to one interviews with the participants. Analysis revealed that self-esteem, quality of life, and stress were all significantly associated with SO involvement. Logistic regression analysis was used to explore whether scores on these variables were able to predict group membership. Self-esteem was found to be a significant predictor of group membership, those in the SO having the highest self-esteem. The findings provide further evidence of a positive association between sport involvement and increased psychological wellbeing, especially for those involved in the SO. The implications of these findings for practice and future research into the relationship between sport and psychological wellbeing within the learning disabled population are considered.

[Body, disability, and stigma in the origins of the field of adapted sport in the city of Buenos Aires, 1950-1961: a mere interiorization of a devalued identity?]

Although adapted sport is considered the main integrator of people with disabilities, Disability Studies argues that it reinforces the oppression suffered by this group. However, these positions do not historically reconstruct the ethos constructed in sport. In order to contribute to this discussion, I analyze here the ways of thinking about and experiencing disability that were constructed in the origins of the field of adapted sport, in the city of Buenos Aires, from 1950 to 1961. Thus, I begin by analyzing the content of publications of the first clubs for people with disabilities and in-depth interviews with protagonists of the origins of adapted sport and local physiatry.

Mental health and social participation skills of wheelchair basketball players: a controlled study

The aim of this study was to assess differences in psychological well-being, symptomatic psychological disorders and social participation, between competitive wheelchair basketball participants and those non-participants. Forty-six wheelchair participants, 24 Basketball players (aged 35.60 ± 7.56) and 22 non-players (aged 36.20 ± 6.23), completed three validated self-report questionnaires: Participation Scale (PS), Psychological Well-Being Scale [PWBS] and Symptom Checklist 90 R [SCL-90-R]. ANOVA showed significant overall differences between the two groups. The social restriction score, evaluated by PS, was significantly higher in the non-basketball participants (p=0.00001) than the basketball participants. The PWB Scale showed significant differences in all 6 dimensions: positive relations with others, environmental mastery, personal growth, purpose in life and self-acceptance (p<0.01), and autonomy (p<0.05), with better scores in the basketball participants. The SCL-90-R scores were significantly lower for the basketball group in the following 6 symptomatic dimensions: depression, phobic anxiety, and sleep disorder (p<0.01), somatization, interpersonal sensitivity and psychoticism (with p<0.05). It was concluded that competitive wheelchair basketball participants showed better psychological well-being and social skills than those non-participants.