Athletic identity, affect, and peer relations in youth athletes with physical disabilities.
BACKGROUND
Theory-based investigations of the psychosocial aspects of youth participation in disability sport are underresearched, suggesting a need for more scholarly inquiry in this area. We sought to examine athletic identity, affect, and peer relations of youth athletes with physical disabilities and selected relationships among these variables.


METHODS
Participants (N=36) completed the Private-Public Athletic Identity Scale, the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, and the Peer Relations Scale.


RESULTS
Participants reported stronger private athletic identity individual item scores (mean ≈ 4.0) compared with a public (mean=2.4) athletic identity and expressed much positive (mean=4.4) affect and low negative affect (mean=1.7). They also expressed strong peer relations (mean=5.0). A significant relationship (r=0.34, p < .05) between positive affect and peer relations existed.


CONCLUSIONS
Friendships in and outside of disability sport may contribute to quality of life by promoting positive affective states such as feelings of joy, satisfaction, inspiration, excitement, and enthusiasm. In general, our results supported the potentially positive role that adapted sport can have on the well-being of youth with physical disabilities.
Georgia State University, Department of Kinesiology and Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, USA.
Deborah R
DR
Shapiro
Jeffrey J
JJ
Martin
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000339:Affect; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D011594:Psychometrics; D012933:Social Identification; D012938:Social Perception; D013177:Sports / Q000523:psychology*; D013178:Sports Medicine; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult