Relationship between Athletic identity and Participation in Sports Activities among Physically Disabled People

Sports activities have obvious benefits, including physical, psychological and social for all members of the community, including healthy people and especially for the physically disabled. Athletic identity can lead to motivation and continuous participation in sports activities as well as success at high levels. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between athletic identity and participation in sports activities among physically disabled persons.

This research was a survey, and a questionnaire used for data collection. The statistical population of this study was physically disabled people in Shahrekord (Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, Southwest of Iran) in 2016. In this study, using the Cochran formula at the 5% error level, 320 people (186 males and 134 females) with an average age of 28.65 ± 9.71 were selected from 2139 physically disabled people, in a simple random sampling method. Athletic Identity was measured by using Cieslak’s athletic identity scale, which was a 22–item self–report questionnaire with five dimensions, including self–identity, social Identity, exclusivity, positive and negative affectivity. All five dimensions were answered on a 10–point scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 10 (strongly agree) – also, a researcher–made questionnaire used for participation in sports activities. The questionnaire had four items that measured the rate of participation in sports activities according to minutes per week. Pearson correlation coefficient used to analyze data. All statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS (Version 24) with the error level less than 0.05.

A total of 58.1% of respondents were men, and 41.9% were women. The mean age of the women was 65.9±53.55 years old, and the mean age of the men was 20.9±19.26 years. In terms of involving in sport, 86% of men and 48% of women involved in sports activities, while 14% of men and 52% of women did not include in any sports activities. In total, 56% of men and women participated in sports activities, and 44% did not participate in any sports activities. The average participation in sports activities was 52.20±32.22 min/week. The mean of athletic identity was 126.94±14.32, which was higher than average. Results of Pearson's correlation coefficient showed that there was a significant positive relationship between self–identity and participation in sports activities (r=0.34, p<0.001). There was a significant positive relationship between social identity and participation in sports activities (r=0.30, p<0.001). There was a significant positive relationship between exclusivity and participation in sports activities (r=0.40, p<0.001). There was a significant negative correlation between negative affectivity and participation in sports activities (r=-0.16, p<0.001). There was a significant positive relationship between positive affectivity and participation in sports activities (r=0.31, p<0.001). Finally, there was a significant positive relationship between sport identity and participation in sports activities (r=0.30, p<0.001).

Athletic identity could be a facilitator for participation in sports activities for physically disabled persons and their commitment to the continuous involvement in sports activities that can lead to their physical and mental health. Athletic identity by increasing the participation of physically disabled people in sports activities can reinforce the feeling of strength and self–esteem in physically disabled athletes, reduce the negative affectivity of others, and lead to reinforcing of social identity and eventually develops the capability of physically disabled persons.