Resilience in Turkish Physically Disabled Athletes: The Role of Sport Participation
Abstract
The purpose of the study was to examine sources of resilience for physical disability athletes. This is a qualitative study aiming for in-depth investigation of protective mechanisms for physical disability athetes in their lives. The criterion sampling method, one of the purposeful sampling methods, was used to determine the participants of the current study: (I) Having an acquired physical (orthopedic) disability. (II) Being at least over the age of 18, (III) Currently, participating in a sport and, (IV) having national or international achievements in their recognized sports. The participants consisted of 12 physically disabled athletes five of whom were women and seven of whom were men. A semi-structured interview technique was employed in the present study. Content analysis was used to analyze data obtained in the study. Resulting social support, included the positive outlook one has, spirituality and belief, demonstrated significant protective factors for strengthening resilience. It was shown that participating in sporting activities, the experiences during these activities, the interpersonal relations established through them, and receiving achievements in this context provides significant strength for people.
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