Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Educational Psychology and Counselling, Faculty of Education, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 2 Sports and Exercise Medicine Research and Education Centre, Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence-Based Practice, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 3 Department of English Language, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 4 Exercise and Sports Science Programme, School of Health Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia
  • 5 Biostatistics and Research Methodology Unit, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia
  • 6 Department of Asian and European Languages, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Malays J Med Sci, 2024 Apr;31(2):170-178.
PMID: 38694590 DOI: 10.21315/mjms2024.31.2.15

Abstract

BACKGROUND: People with disabilities are marginalised in mainstream culture and they also experience increased restrictions in a variety of areas, such as sport. The barriers they encounter may adversely affect their life satisfaction, especially if they have a low perceived sense of autonomy and resilience. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between autonomy, resilience and life satisfaction in para-badminton athletes and the mediating role of resilience in the relationship between autonomy and life satisfaction.

METHODS: Data were collected from 137 para-badminton athletes (male: 65.0% and female: 35.0%). Self-reported measures were used to assess the participants' autonomy, resilience and life satisfaction levels.

RESULTS: A structural equation model analysis was performed; the model had sufficient fit indices (comparative fit index [CFI] = 0.94, root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.06, standardised root mean square residual [SRMR] = 0.07). The findings showed that autonomy had a significant effect on resilience (β = 0.32, P = 0.001). Further, resilience had a significant effect on life satisfaction (β = 0.19, P = 0.011) and significantly mediated the effect of autonomy on life satisfaction (β = 021, P = 0.033).

CONCLUSION: This study revealed that autonomy fosters resilience among athletes, in turn allowing them to achieve greater life satisfaction. Therefore, society and sport communities should actively seek ways to improve the autonomy and resilience levels of athletes with disabilities.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.