Psychological Need Satisfaction through Sports Participation among International Athletes with Cerebral Palsy

Abstract

Research indicates that people with disabilities who participate in sports and are physically active rate themselves higher in psychological well‐being. The primary purpose of this study was to observe differences in the satisfaction of psychological needs through sports participation based on one's impairment level. Participants in the study included 50 English‐speaking individuals with cerebral palsy who were 18 years of age or older and who were competing in the 2005 World Cerebral Palsy Championship in New Haven, Connecticut. Descriptive statistics were gathered and a simple one‐way ANOVA was used to test the differences in psychological need fulfillment. Results indicated a significant difference between groups (F(2,48)=4.403, p=.018) with individuals with less significant impairment (M=110.07) scoring significantly lower in need satisfaction through their sports participation than individuals with the highest level of impairment (M=123.67). Findings highlight the potential importance of sports participation, particularly for individuals with higher levels of impairment.

Key words:

• sports participation
• cerebral palsy
• self‐determination theory