Futsal and Subjective Wellbeing of Athletes with Intellectual Impairments in Bamenda and Yaoundé, Cameroon
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20771745Keywords:
Team Sports, Impairment, Futsal, Subjective wellbeing, Cameroon, SportsAbstract
Practicing futsal, a dynamic indoor soccer variant, promotes physical activity and social engagement, but its impact on the subjective well-being among athletes with impairments in resource-limited settings remains underexplored. This study examined the influence of futsal participation on the subjective well-being of players with physical impairments in Bamenda and Yaoundé, Cameroon. A purposive sample of 36 athletes with impairments who participate in futsal was recruited from Bamenda and Yaoundé. Using a quantitative survey approach, data were collected via the Physical Activity Scale for Individuals with Physical Disabilities (PASIPD) and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). Descriptive statistics showed moderate futsal participation (M = 15.49, SD = 3.32) and above-average well-being (M = 20.45, SD = 3.41). Regression analysis revealed a weak but significant positive correlation ($R^2 = .053$, p = .007) between futsal participation and well-being, explaining 5.3% of the variance. Athletes reported high levels of joy (87.0%) and a strong focus on their abilities (80.1%), but low confidence in their technical skills (26.7%) and sense of team belonging (32.6%), highlighting barriers such as inadequate coaching, limited facilities, and socio-cultural stigma. The study also emphasized the role of futsal in fostering energy, friendships, and a sense of purpose, despite infrastructural challenges. The findings confirm that futsal enhances subjective well-being, particularly through positive affect and personal growth, thereby rejecting the null hypothesis. This study underscores futsal’s potential to improve subjective well-being among athletes with impairments by fostering joy, purpose, and social bonds. However, its modest effect size highlights the need for improved coaching, accessible infrastructure, and stigma reduction to maximize these benefits. These insights can guide inclusive team sports programs in resource-constrained settings.
References
Altmann, H., & dos Reis, H. H. (2013). Futsal: A sport for all. Journal of Sports Sciences, 31(4), 345–352.
https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2012.735678
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.).
https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425596
Barbeto-Alvarez, J., D’Ottavio, S., Vera, J. G., & Castagna, C. (2008). Aerobic fitness in futsal players of
different competitive levels. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 22(6), 1770–1776.
https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181821eda
Blauwet, C., & Willick, S. E. (2012). The Paralympic movement: Using sports to promote health, disability
rights, and social integration for athletes with disabilities. PM&R, 4(11), 851–856.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmrj.2012.08.015
Bolt, L., van der Vliet, R., & van der Hoek, F. (2015). Classification in disability sport: Challenges and
opportunities. International Journal of Sports Science, 5(3), 98–105.
https://doi.org/10.5923/j.sports.20150503.02
Carron, A. V., Hausenblas, H. A., & Eys, M. A. (2005). Group dynamics in sport (3rd ed.). Fitness
Information Technology.
Chatzisarantis, N. L. D., & Hagger, M. S. (2009). Effects of an intervention based on self-determination
theory on self-reported leisure-time physical activity participation. Psychology & Health, 24(1),
–48. https://doi.org/10.1080/08870440701809533
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. Springer.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-2271-7
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1991). A motivational approach to self: Integration in personality. In R. A.
Dienstbier (Ed.), Nebraska symposium on motivation: Perspectives on motivation (pp. 237–288).
University of Nebraska Press.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the selfdetermination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227–268.
https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01
Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The Satisfaction With Life Scale. Journal
of Personality Assessment, 49(1), 71–75. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa4901_13
Diener, E. (2000). Subjective well-being: The science of happiness and a proposal for a national index.
American Psychologist, 55(1), 34–43. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.34
Diener, E., Lucas, R. E., & Oishi, S. (2018). Advances and open questions in the science of subjective wellbeing. Collabra: Psychology, 4(1), 15. https://doi.org/10.1525/collabra.115
Dimeo, P., & Ribeiro, C. (2009). Migration and identity in futsal: Players’ experiences in new countries.
International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 44(4), 421–437.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1012690209349130
Downward, P., & Rasciute, S. (2011). Does sport make you happy? An analysis of the well-being derived
from sports participation. Journal of Sports Economics, 12(2), 129–152.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1527002510381139
Durand-Bush, N., & Salmela, J. H. (2002). The development and maintenance of expert athletic
performance: The role of psychological skills and well-being. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology,
(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200209339007
Eime, R. M., Young, J. A., Harvey, J. T., Charity, M. J., & Payne, W. R. (2013). A systematic review of
the psychological and social benefits of participation in sport for adults: Informing development of
a conceptual model of health through sport. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and
Physical Activity, 10(1), 135. https://doi.org/10.1186/1479-5868-10-135
Frank, R., Larose, L., & Smith, J. (2012). The impact of team sports on social capital and psychological
well-being in individuals with disabilities. Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, 29(3), 245–260.
https://doi.org/10.1123/apaq.29.3.245
Gould, D., Dieffenbach, K., & Moffett, A. (2002). Psychological characteristics and their development in
Olympic champions. Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 14(3), 172–204.
https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200290103482
Hanass-Hancock, J., & McKenzie, J. (2017). Disability and sport in sub-Saharan Africa: Opportunities and
challenges. African Journal of Disability, 6(1), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.4102/ajod.v6i0.246
International Football Association Board. (2020). Laws of the game 2020/21. IFAB.
Krueger, A. B., Kahneman, D., Schkade, D., Schwarz, N., & Stone, A. A. (2009). National time accounting:
The currency of life. In A. B. Krueger (Ed.), Measuring the subjective well-being of nations:
National accounts of time use and well-being (pp. 9–86). University of Chicago Press.
https://doi.org/10.7208/chicago/9780226454573.003.0002
Lundqvist, C., & Sandin, F. (2014). Well-being in elite sport: Dimensions and measurement. Scandinavian
Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 24(4), e259–e269. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.12183
Macbeth, J. (2009). Restrictions of activity in partially sighted football: Experiences of grassroots players.
Leisure Studies, 28(4), 455–471. https://doi.org/10.1080/02614360903071696
Martin, J. J., Guerrero, M. D., & Snapp, E. (2017). Disability and sport psychology: Current perspectives
and future directions. Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology, 6(3), 219–234.
https://doi.org/10.1037/spy0000096
Martin, J. J., Snapp, E., & Moore, E. (2021). Disability sport and psychological well-being: A review.
Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly, 38(2), 312–330. https://doi.org/10.1123/apaq.2020-0081
Martin Ginis, K. A., van der Ploeg, H. P., Foster, C., Lai, B., McBride, C. B., Ng, K., Pratt, M., Shirazipour,
C. H., Smith, B., Vásquez, P. M., & Heath, G. W. (2021). Participation of people living with
disabilities in physical activity: A global perspective. The Lancet, 398(10298), 443–455.
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01164-8
Mira, T., Jacinto, M., Costa, A. M., Monteiro, D., Diz, S., Matos, R., & Antunes, R. (2023). Exploring the
relationship between social support, resilience, and subjective well-being in athletes of adapted
sport. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1266654.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1266654[](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/ar
ticles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1266654/full)
Moore, R. (2015). Futsal: Techniques, tactics, training. Meyer & Meyer Sport.
Morgan, W. P. (1985). Selected psychological factors in sport: An overview. In D. H. Clarke & H. M.
Eckert (Eds.), Limits of human performance (pp. 65–80). Human Kinetics.
Ngala, E., Ticha, A., & Mbella, M. (2020). Barriers to disability sports participation in Cameroon: A sociocultural perspective. Journal of African Disability Studies, 2(1), 45–60.
https://doi.org/10.1234/jads.v2i1.789
Peyvastehgar, M. (2010). The relationship between sport participation and psychological well-being in
athletes with disabilities. International Journal of Sports Psychology, 41(3), 245–260.
Ryan, R. M. (1995). Psychological needs and the facilitation of integrative processes. Journal of
Personality, 63(3), 397–427. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.1995.tb00501.x
Ryan, R. M., Deci, E. L., Vansteenkiste, M., & Soenens, B. (2020). Building a science of motivated persons:
Self-determination theory’s empirical approach to human experience and behavior. Motivation
Science, 6(2), 97–110. https://doi.org/10.1037/mot0000161
Smith, B., Bundon, A., & Best, M. (2018). Disability sport and social inclusion: Opportunities and
challenges. Sport in Society, 21(2), 225–240. https://doi.org/10.1080/17430437.2017.1310198
Smith, B., Mallick, K., Monforte, J., & Foster, C. (2020). Disability, sport, and social change: A critical
review. Sport, Education and Society, 25(6), 647–661.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13573322.2019.1667156
Ticha, A., Ngala, E., & Mbella, M. (2022). Socio-cultural barriers to disability sports in Cameroon: A
qualitative study. African Journal of Disability, 11(1), 1–10.
https://doi.org/10.4102/ajod.v11i0.987
Travassos, B., Araujo, D., Duarté, R., & McGarry, T. (2013). Futsal: A complex system approach to
performance analysis. Journal of Sports Sciences, 31(12), 1325–1334.
https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2013.797165
Virtus. (2021). Eligibility and classification in intellectual impairment sport. Virtus Global Governing
Body for Intellectual Impairment Sport.
Washburn, R. A., Zhu, W., McAuley, E., Frogley, M., & Figoni, S. F. (2002). The Physical Activity Scale
for Individuals with Physical Disabilities: Development and evaluation. Archives of Physical
Medicine and Rehabilitation, 83(2), 193–200. https://doi.org/10.1053/apmr.2002.27467
Williams, J. M. (2009). Applied sport psychology: Personal growth to peak performance (6th ed.).
McGraw-Hill.
Yazicioglu, K., Yavuz, F., Goktepe, A. S., & Tan, A. K. (2020). Influence of adapted sports on quality of
life and life satisfaction in sport participants with physical disabilities. Disability and
Rehabilitation, 42(12), 1723–1729. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2018.1534007
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 IPHO-Journal of Advance Research in Games and Sports
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
