Parents Motivation for Participation in Physical Activity for Children with Impairments
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of impairment type, child's gender, and parent's gender on parent's motives for letting their children with various impairments participate in physical activity. Participants were 184 Taiwanese parents (n=78 fathers, n=106 mothers) of elementary school age children with impairments. Parents' motives were assessed using the revised Exercise Participation Motives (EPM) scale (Wu Liao, 2011) Parents rated personal fitness and skill improvement, positive emotion and friendship, and teamwork as the top three reasons for their child's participation in physical activity. Differences in parents' motives by impairment and child's gender were not statistically significant. A significant effect of parent's gender on parents' motives was found only for the social enhancement construct on the EPM. The cross cultural similarity of the findings and impact of the results in regard to program planning and implementation for children with impairments and their families are discussed.