Exploring the Relationship Between Adaptive Sports Participation and Self-Determination of Adults Engaged in Adaptive Sports

Abstract

This study sought to determine if there were relationships between participation in adaptive sports and supports for psychological basic needs. Framed in Self-Determination Theory, the study measured the degree to which competence, relatedness, and autonomy were supported in adapted sport and measured if these varied by the frequency and duration of participation by wheelchair athletes. Fifty-two wheelchair basketball athletes competing in two wheelchair basketball tournaments completed a Wheelchair Athlete questionnaire and the Basic Psychological Needs Scale-Adaptive Sports Instrument. Correlation analyses were performed to test relationships between the frequency, duration, and diversity of participation to the three basic needs of self-determination. The results provide no support for relationships between supports for autonomy, relatedness, competence and adaptive sports participation. Limitations due to sample size and ceiling effects in measuring basic psychological needs were cited as problematic for interpreting results. Longitudinal studies with larger samples are recommended for future studies exploring relationships between support for basic needs and wheelchair sport participation.