Psychological factors of parental physical activity support among parents of children with disabilities: a meta-analysis
Creators: name: Barry, Ashlyn
name: Ku, Byungmo
name: Swarup, Gayatri
name: Christensen, Leslie Ann
name: Columna, Luis
Publisher: name: Taylor & Francis
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: Biophysics
subject: Sociology
subject: FOS: Sociology
subject: Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Inorganic Chemistry
subject: FOS: Chemical sciences
subject: Science Policy

description: Parents of children with disabilities often encounter challenges when supporting their child’s physical activity (PA). Research on the psychological factors influencing parental support for PA has produced mixed results. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to a) synthesize psychological factors associated with parental support for PA, and b) evaluate the moderators of the association between parental support for PA and these psychological factors. Following PRISMA guidelines, this meta-analysis reviewed peer-reviewed English articles on parental support for children with disabilities (ages 0–18) from January 2009 to February 2022, with updates in February 2024. We searched six databases—PubMed, CINAHL, Academic Search Premier, SPORTDiscus, Scopus, and CENTRAL—and applied four statistical methods (Egger’s regression, Duval and Tweedi’s Trim and Fill, Classic Fail-safe N, and Begg’s test) to assess study bias. Twelve studies met the inclusion criteria, showing a medium association (<i>r</i> = .41, 95% CI [.28 − .50], <i>p</i> &lt; .001) between parental PA support and psychological factors in parents of children with disabilities. Psychological constructs and child’s age were not significant moderators. No publication biases were detected. Limitations include the use of convenience samples and the lack of disability type as a moderator. Future research should address these gaps. Emphasizing parental intentions, parental PA, and self-efficacy can enhance parental support for PA in children with disabilities, promoting their PA engagement. To increase parental support for physical activity (PA) in children with disabilities, it is important to address and modify the psychological factors influencing the parents.Results of this study demonstrated that parents’ intentions and self-efficacy are primary psychological factors associated with parental PA support for children with disabilities.Rehabilitation professionals can implement intervention strategies to improve these psychological factors, such as teaching parents skills to instruct their child during PA and educating about the importance of PA. To increase parental support for physical activity (PA) in children with disabilities, it is important to address and modify the psychological factors influencing the parents. Results of this study demonstrated that parents’ intentions and self-efficacy are primary psychological factors associated with parental PA support for children with disabilities. Rehabilitation professionals can implement intervention strategies to improve these psychological factors, such as teaching parents skills to instruct their child during PA and educating about the importance of PA.