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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychol.
Sec. Sport Psychology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1339519
This article is part of the Research Topic Strength Training and Performance Optimization: The Triad of Physical, Psychological, and Physiological Excellence View all 3 articles

The impact of physical exercise on meaning in life among adolescents with disabilities: the chain-mediated role of perceived social support and exercise self-efficacy

Provisionally accepted
Lei Zheng Lei Zheng 1Juan Yao Juan Yao 2*Wei Zhou Wei Zhou 3*Danping Liu Danping Liu 4*
  • 1 Sichuan College of Architectural Technology, Chengdu, China
  • 2 Sichuan Institute of Industrial Technology, Deyang, Sichuan, China
  • 3 Sichuan University of Science and Engineering, Zigong, Sichuan, China
  • 4 Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    There is a lack of clarity about the relationship and effect of how physical exercise (PE) affects the meaning in life (MIL) of adolescents with disabilities. The purpose of this study was to examine the mechanism of action of physical activity participation on the sense of meaning in life for adolescents with disabilities. That is, to test the mediating role of exercise self-efficacy (ESE) and Perceived Social Support (PSS).The Physical Activity Scale, PSS Scale, ESE Scale, and MIL Scale were used to study a group of adolescents with disabilities (including hearing and speech impairments, physical disabilities, visual impairments), and PLS-SEM was used to examine the mediating roles of PSS and ESE.Results: PSS and ESE were significant chain mediators (β = 0.02, 95% CI = [0.01,0.03],t=2.93) between PE and MIL for people with disabilities. Specifically, participation in PE by persons with disabilities can indirectly affect MIL through PSS (β = 0.17, 95% CI = [0.13, 0.22],t=7.36), and can indirectly affect MIL through ESE (β = 0.09, 95% CI = [0.04, 0.14],t=3.36).PE is a direct and positive predictor of life meaning in adolescents with disabilities, in addition to increasing PSS and ESE, which both improve life meaning.In teenagers with disabilities, PE and MIL are mediated in a cascading manner by PSS and ESE. This study offered empirical data and insightful intervention ideas for future research on the topic, as well as significant support for the hypothesis of how and why physical exercise can improve the quality of life for adolescents with impairments.

    Keywords: adolescents with disabilities, physical exercise, meaning in life, perceived social support, exercise self-efficacy

    Received: 16 Nov 2023; Accepted: 22 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Zheng, Yao, Zhou and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Juan Yao, Sichuan Institute of Industrial Technology, Deyang, 618500, Sichuan, China
    Wei Zhou, Sichuan University of Science and Engineering, Zigong, Sichuan, China
    Danping Liu, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610065, Sichuan Province, China

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