The association of physical activity levels with motivational function, cognitive function, and psychological resilience in para-athletes

This research explored the relation between physical activity levels, motivational function, cognitive function, and psychological resilience among para-athletes. A total of 100 para-athletes (57% male, 43% female; mean age 31.0 ± 9.2 years) registered with the Turkish Federation for Sports for the Physically Disabled took part in this cross-sectional study. Routine physical activity was evaluated using the short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-SF). Additionally, the Self-Talk Questionnaire (STQ) and Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) were utilized to measure internal dialogue functions and psychological resilience. Spearman correlation analyses were conducted for the overall sample and repeated across subgroups defined by impairment type and sports discipline. At the overall sample level, engaging in activities perceived as vigorous was weakly but significantly correlated with psychological resilience ( r = 0.243; p < 0.05), while daily sitting time showed weak negative correlations with both motivational ( r = − 0.239; p < 0.05) and cognitive function ( r = − 0.265; p < 0.01). Subgroup analyses yielded notably stronger correlations in certain groups. Vigorous activity and resilience were strongly correlated in athletes with cerebral palsy ( r = 0.595; p < 0.05) and in Para Team and Ball Sports athletes ( r = 0.767; p < 0.05), and sitting time was strongly and negatively associated with cognitive function in athletes with spinal cord and neuromuscular disabilities ( r = − 0.528; p < 0.05). Higher levels of perceived vigorous physical activity are associated with greater psychological resilience in para-athletes, while increased daily sitting time is associated with lower motivational and cognitive function scores. These associations varied across impairment types and sports disciplines, suggesting that training and rehabilitation programs may benefit from being tailored to specific impairment types and sports disciplines.