Quality of Life of People With Motor Disabilities, Involved or Not in Parasports

Objective: The aim of the present study was to assess the influence of parasport on the quality of life of people with motor disabilities. Methodology: This cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted with 39 para-athletes (O = 30.9 ± 11.7 years) and 10 non-athletes with motor disabilities (b = 31.6 ± 9.3 years). The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the University of Pará State (CAAE nº 51930821.2.0000.5174), under protocol no. 5.012.266, of October 1, 2021. Data were collected on a Google Forms questionnaire. Quality of life was evaluated by applying the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire ― WHOQOL-100. The data were presented using descriptive statistics and underwent inferential analysis via nonparametric tests, where continuous data distribution is distinguished from normal distribution. The Mann-Whitney nonparametric test was applied for intergroup comparisons of continuous variables. For discrete and/or nominal variables, Pearson’s chi-squared test was used, both with a significance level of p < 0.05 to reject the null hypothesis. Results: The para-athletes exhibited better quality of life than that of non-athletes (∆% = 12.97%, p = 0.02), the former achieving a general index of 14.20, classifying them as high (above 14 points). This result is due primarily to Domain 6 (Spirituality), where this group obtained an index of 16.90, higher than that of the group of non-athletes in this domain (j% = 16.69%). Conclusion: With respect to their physical disabilities, the para-athlete group displayed better quality of life than their non-athlete counterparts. It can be inferred that engaging in parasports may have helped people with physical disabilities overcome their limitations.