PhD, Associate Professor S.M. Galysheva¹
Postgraduate E.D. Tretyakova¹
PhD, Associate Professor L.N. Rogaleva¹
PhD, Associate Professor L.A. Boyarskaya¹
PhD, Associate Professor A.V. Shikhov^1
1Urals Federal University, Yekaterinburg

Keywords: Paralympic sports, female Paralympic athletes, internality test rates.

Background. Adaptive physical education and Paralympic sports are still relatively new for the Russian communities of disabled people although getting increasingly popular for their inspirational effects, stimulated progress in physical conditions, focuses on proactive behavioral models with healthy goals and hard work for success – to facilitate the socializing and personality progress agendas of the disabled trainees [1, 4].

The adaptive sports community, however, still leaves practically underexplored the personal resource mobilization issues of the women’s adaptive/ Paralympic sports leaders who demonstrate high athletic fortitude and success in competitions. Since the self-control rates are generally considered a fair measure of a personality progress with the individual responsibility, activity and own life control aspects [3], they may be applied for the female Paralympic athletes’ personality resource profiling purposes.

Objective of the study was to profile and rank self-control in women’s Paralympic athletics.

Methods and structure of the study. We sampled for the study the 21 to 25-year-old female Paralympic athletes (n=8) competing in track and field events with musculoskeletal system disabilities and having varying sports qualifications and competitive experiences. Their self-control was rated by a questionnaire survey by E.F. Bazhin, E.A. Golynkina and A.M. Etkind [5]. The questionnaire survey assumes the individual self-control ratable by a general internality index that factors in the success internality, failure internality, family internality, professional internality, interpersonal internality and health internality.

Results and discussion. Self-control of the sample was tested to vary in a wide range on the test scales. We provisionally grouped the sample into two groups with relatively close test rates: Group 1 with the moderate to high (7-plus points) general internality test rates and Group 2 with sub-moderate to low (5-minus points) general internality test rates: see Figure 1 hereunder.

Figure 1. Self-control test rates of the sample of Paralympic athletes

General internality   Success internality   Failure internality Family internality  Professional internality Interpersonal internality  Health internality

Having analyzed the internality test rates versus the competitive experience, we found Group 1 dominated by the individuals with the high competitive accomplishments and 5-plus-year experience; and Group 2 including mostly the athletes with the 2-3-year experience and still relatively unsuccessful. Furthermore, Group 1 was found to believe that their progresses were due mostly to their own efforts that can change their lives. This finding is rather important in our opinion, considering that the group success internality was rated moderate-to-high, i.e. the sports careers help the athletes set healthy goals and reinforce their beliefs in own resources, missions and successes in sports and lives; and in case of failure they are not inclined to blame others, but instead accept their own errors – as indicated by the failure control internality test rates

Knowing that the Paralympians are diagnosed with either congenital or acquired disabilities (e.g. cerebral palsy, amputee), we had a special interest in their health internality test rates – that were found moderate to low in fact. No wonder, that the disabled people’s health self-rates are lower than in relatively healthy samples, although the Paralympians were still found well motivated for own physical condition control; moreover, they were tested motivated for physical progress despite the inevitable relapses and falls in their physical progress paths. On the whole, therefore, we found the Paralympian sample well aware of their diseases and physical conditions on the one hand and still believing that their health issues may not seriously hamper their physical progress agendas on the other hand. That is why they are determined in their goals and missions and never ranking health issues among the key barriers for success in sports and personality progress agendas.

Two more important life domains in the questionnaire survey were rated by the interpersonal internality and professional internality tests – that were generally found relatively high in the more successful group and lower in the less successful one. It can be assumed that sports not only increase the confidence of athletes in personal progress, but help them in their socializing agendas by facilitating progress in their communicative qualities, social activity and, hence, their professional progress. As was found by I.S. Koksharova and Y.V. Kirillova, communication and mutual support in competitions play a great role for the disabled peoples’ progress in family relationships, everyday lives and even their employment initiatives [2].

Conclusion. The study data and analyses found the female Paralympians’ self-control dominated by the internal ones, with the success internalities tested the highest in the sample. Despite the wide variations in the self-control test profiles, we found the self-control generally higher in the group more successful in the adaptive sports.

References

1. Evseev S.P. Theory and organization of adaptive physical education. Moscow: Sport publ., 2016. 615 p.
2. Koksharova I.Sh., Kirillova Ya.V. Opportunities for reintegration into normal life of athletes with lower limb amputation involved in sledge hockey. Proceedings of national research-practical conference of undergraduates: Ural State University of Physical Culture publ.. 2019. pp. 303–306.
3. Krutykh E.V. Relationship between self-actualization and locus of personality control. V mire nauchnykh otkryitiy. 2014. No. 5.1 (53). pp. 520-526.
4. Fominykh E.S. Psychological resources of people with disabilities as a factor of inclusion in society. Concept publ.. 2016. V. 20. pp. 86-92.
5. Fetiskin N.P., Kozlov V.V., Manuylov G.M. Socio-psychological diagnostics of development of personality and small groups. Moscow: Institute of Psychotherapy publ., 2002. 339 p.

Corresponding author: sve20851157@yandex.ru

Abstract

Objective of the study was to profile and rank self-control in women’s Paralympian athletics.

Methods and structure of the study. We sampled for the study the 21 to 25-year-old female Paralympians (n=8) competing in track and field events with musculoskeletal system disabilities and having varying sports qualifications and competitive experiences. Their self-control was rated by a questionnaire survey by E.F. Bazhin, E.A. Golynkina and A.M. Etkind [5]. The questionnaire survey assumes the individual self-control ratable by a general internality index that factors in the success internality, failure internality, family internality, professional internality, interpersonal internality and health internality.

Results and discussion. The study data and analyses showed the female Paralympians’ self-control dominated by the internal ones, with the success internalities tested the highest in the sample and growing with the competitive progress. The sample was tested lowest on the health internality scale – that may be interpreted as indicative of health being not a key self-control factor for the sample. We also found the adaptive sports facilitating the interpersonal and family internalities i.e. encouraging the positive and proactive behavioral strategies in women with disabilities.