Table 2.
Characteristics of included papers.
Authors and yearJournalParticipantsStudy designStudy focusRudell and Shinew (
2006)Journal of Leisure Research11 female athletes from the USA aged 20 to 28 with physical disabilities. Playing wheelchair basketball several times a weekQualitative study. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews. Kvale's interview analysis (1996)To identify personal attributes, significant others and situations that contributed to their involvement in sportGuthrie and Castelnuovo (
2001)Sociology of Sport Journal34 women form the USA aged 20 to 72 with physical mobility disabilities. Regularly participating in sports or exercise, but at various levelsQualitative study. Standardized interviews with open-ended questions, face-to-face or by phone. Inductive content analysisTo identify how the women used physical activity to manage their disabilitiesTaub, Blinde, and Greer (
1999)Human Relations24 male college students from the USA aged 20 to 51 with physical disabilities. Diverse participation patterns in physical activity.Qualitative study. In-depth interviews, open-ended and with supplementary questions. Content analysis and codingTo explore how an involvement in sports and physical activity may be one strategy to manage the stigma of a disabled body.Page, O'Connor, and Peterson (
2001)Journal of Sport & Social Issues6 athletes from the USA, aged 24 to 51, with physical disabilities. All nationally ranked in their respective sports (track and field, powerlifting, swimming, fencing and basketball)Qualitative study. Semi-structured interviews focusing on a detailed description of each athlete's experiences in sport. Thematic analysisTo explore the meaning of sports participation for individuals with physical disabilities and why they participateSousa, Corredeira, and Pereira (
2009)Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly14 persons from Portugal aged 17 to 42 with arm or leg amputations, wearing prosthetics. Half of them were engaged in sport, half of them were notComparative qualitative study. Semi-structured interviews with open ended questions. Coding and classificationTo investigate how people with an amputation view their bodies and how a participation in sports influences how they perceive their body.Blinde and McClung (
1997)Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly23 persons from the USA aged 20 to 36 with physical disabilities. Participation in recreational programme 5–24 weeksInterventional study, data collection 2 weeks after intervention. Semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions. Content analysisTo explore the impact of participation in recreational activities on the perception of the physical and social selves of individuals with physical disabilities.Huang and Brittain (
2006)Sociology of Sport Journal21 persons from GB and Taiwan aged 22 to 39 with physical disabilities or visual impairments. Taking part in track and field and powerlifting at a high competitive levelQualitative study. Interviews with focused life history approach. Analysis through multiple readings/crystallization methodTo explore the multiplicity and complexity of identity construction for elite disabled athletes within disability sportsGoodwin et al. (
2009)Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly11 athletes from Canada aged 22 to 48 with physical disabilities, playing wheelchair rugby at an elite levelQualitative study. Focus group interviews with interview guide and photographs as initiators. Inductive thematic analysisTo explore the social experience of the wheelchair rugby players from the perspective of the playersBlinde and Taub (
1999)Journal of Sport Behaviour28 male college students from the USA aged 20 to 51 with physical or sensory disabilities. Various experience with participation in physical activityQualitative study. In-depth interviews, standardized interview schedule. Coding and categorization.To examine the empowering capability of participation in physical fitness activityAshton-Shaeffer et al. (
2001)Sociology of Sport Journal15 persons from the USA aged 20 to 50 with physical disabilities. Participated in a 2-day disability sports camp with various aerobic sportsQualitative study. In-depth semi-structured interviews 6 months after the camp. Constant comparison techniques with a grounded theory approachTo examine the perceived impact of the camp experience on the camper's livesHenderson and Bedini (
1995)Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport16 women from the USA aged 29 to 53 with physical disabilities. Had physical activity as part of their leisure-time activityQualitative study. Interview following a guide with probes to encourage informal conversation. Constant comparison and analytic inductionTo understand the experiences and meanings of physical activity for women with physical disabilitiesGaskin, Andersen, and Morris (
2009)International Journal of Disability, Development and EducationA 25-year-old woman from Australia with severe cerebral palsy. Physically activeCase study, life history approach. Psychodynamically oriented interpretation of materialTo investigate the meanings and experiences of physical activity in the informant's lifeKasser (
2009)Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly12 adults from the USA aged 32 to 56 with multiple sclerosis (MS). Participating in a university-based exercise programme 2–3 times a weekQualitative study. Face-to-face interviews with open-ended questions, observations of activities, reflections of informal interactions. Thematic analysisTo understand how individuals with MS create and understand their own experience in terms of exercise and exercise participationGiacobbi et al. (
2008)Adapted Physical Activity Quarterly26 adults from the USA aged 18 to 54 with physical disabilities. Highly active or formerly active in wheelchair basketballMixed method study. Physical activity scale (PASIPD). Semi-structured interview with open-ended questions. Grounded theory proceduresTo examine links between physical activity and quality of life experienced by the participants
