Resilience of Athletes with Physical Disabilities: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

The focus of this study was to evaluate the resilience of 208 athletes with physical disability and to test the Wagnild and Young Resilience Scale. The mean of resilience scores were similar for men (X = 132.4 ± 30.9) and women (X = 131.4 ± 35.7), which is considered moderate resilience. We observed that participants with spinal cord injury and myelomeningocele showed better scores of resilience, while those with cerebral palsy showed the worst and those with amputation and polio had intermediate scores (F = 3, p = .019). The participants in this research presented a mean resilience (X = 132.13 ± 32.25) significantly lower than those reported in other studies with the general population. Factor analysis showed multidimensional causes, with seven factors accounting for 61.27% of total variation. Moreover, the research tool/questionnaire showed good internal consistency (α = .88). The moderate resilience scores indicate that there is potential for the development of the resilience of these athletes.