Adapted Sport Practice is Associated With Psycho-Emotional Health in People With Physical Disabilities

The aim is to evaluate the potential association between adapted sport practice and psycho-emotional functioning in adults with physical disabilities. A comparative, cross-sectional, and correlational nonexperimental study was conducted with 181 adults with physical disabilities (94 practicing adapted sport and 87 not practicing). Between-group comparisons were conducted for depression and anxiety symptoms, stress, self-esteem, self-efficacy, social skills, mindfulness, and resilience. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were also performed for each psycho-emotional variable, adjusting for percentage of disability, age, and sex and adding adapted sport practice in the second block. Significant differences were observed between groups in depression (p = .009), stress (p = .012), self-efficacy (p = .009), mindfulness (p = .009), mindfulness in physical activity (p = .012), and resilience (p = .020). These findings suggest that adapted sport practice is associated with several psycho-emotional indicators in adults with physical disabilities. However, the cross-sectional design does not allow for causal inferences, and longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the direction of these associations.