Parasport och psykologiskt välbefinnande : en kvalitativ studie om parasportares psykologiska välbefinnande inom idrotten

Sammanfattning: The purpose of the study was to investigate how paraathletes with a physical disability experience psychological well-being within their sport. Ten paraathletes with a physical disability participated in the study whereas seven were male and three female within the ages of 18-64 (M=38.7, SD=15.9). The study was of qualitative nature and a semi-structured interview guide was designed based on psychological well-being in order to investigate the purpose. Through a thematic analysis, three main themes were formed: Relationships to others and oneself, purpose and development act as a driving force, and, difficulties in mastering the environment. The main themes together with their sub-themes reflected the participants' experiences of psychological well-being in sports. The participants in the study felt that social relations with others were strong in parasports and that it was an important part of their everyday life to feel purpose and to have fun. Overall, psychological well-being within parasport was considered secure but with some limitations in environmental mastery and personal development. The results of the study sheds extra light on the experiences para-athletes with a physical disability exhibit within their parasport. Future research may benefit from specifying the outcome by comparing age groups against each other to highlight possible differences in psychological well-being depending on age within parasport. Keywords: Community, parasport, physical disability, psychological well-being, qualitative