https://www.apssjournal.ir/ Journal of Advances in Para-Sport Science en daily 1 Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0330 Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0330 https://www.apssjournal.ir/article_731536.html AbstractEligibility assessments for athletes with intellectual impairment are critical to ensure fair participation while safeguarding athlete welfare. This article synthesizes key challenges across multiple domains: multilingual athletes, stress and anxiety during testing, attention deficits, reliability and validity of tests, risks of misrepresentation, limited access to assessment background, and co-occurring disabilities (e.g., hearing or visual impairments). We highlight methodological considerations, policy implications, and recommendations for practice to improve equity and accuracy in eligibility determinations.IntroductionIn elite and para-sport contexts, eligibility criteria for intellectual impairment aim to balance inclusion with integrity of competition. However, assessments are complex when applied to diverse athlete populations. Intellectual impairment (II) often coexists with multilingual backgrounds, attentional variability, and sensory or motor comorbidities. These factors can influence test performance, interpretation of cognitive and adaptive functioning, and the reliability of eligibility decisions. This article outlines the principal challenges and proposes strategies to enhance the fairness and effectiveness of assessment processes. https://www.apssjournal.ir/article_732646.html This quantitative study employed Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling to examine the complex relationships between six motivational dimensions and sports participation among individuals with a disability. The research involved 150 Iranian individuals with a disability stratified by disability type, including deaf individuals, blind or visually impaired individuals, individuals with limb amputations or impairments, and those with other physical disabilities. Data collection utilized an adapted 26-item Sport Motivation Scale (SMS-II) administered through an online questionnaire platform with comprehensive accessibility support for participants who required additional support. Through rigorous analysis, the path analysis revealed that motivational dimensions interact in hierarchical patterns, with intrinsic motivation serving as the dominant driver of participation, followed by identified regulation, introjected regulation, and integrated regulation. The findings demonstrate that individuals with a disability operate under distinct motivational dynamics compared to populations without a disability, where autonomous and internalized forms of motivation substantially outweigh external incentives or controls. This research contributes nuanced understanding of how psychological motivation functions as a critical mechanism influencing athletic engagement, revealing that individuals with a disability respond most favorably to motivational strategies emphasizing genuine interest, personal relevance, social support, and identity integration rather than external rewards or compliance mechanisms. https://www.apssjournal.ir/article_732647.html The present study investigates the impact of athletic identity on the prevalence of emotional abuse among track and field athletes in Khorasan Razavi Province. Volunteer participants (N=100) completed Brewer’s Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (1993) and the Emotional Abuse Questionnaire developed by Dietz et al. (2016). Data were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis. Results showed that the mean level of emotional abuse among track and field athletes was 3.99, indicating a moderate level. The average athletic identity score was 2.92, suggesting a moderate-to-low identification with the athlete role. Female athletes reported slightly higher levels of emotional abuse than males, with the highest prevalence observed among athletes aged 19–26 years and those with 5–10 years of experience. A significant positive correlation was found between athletic identity and emotional abuse, indicating that stronger athletic identity is associated with greater exposure to or internalization of emotionally abusive behaviors. Athletes with a stronger athletic identity appear to be at higher risk of enduring or normalizing coaches’ abusive behaviors. Therefore, educational programs on professional ethics and communication skills should be integrated into coach development curricula nationwide. https://www.apssjournal.ir/article_734206.html This systematic review synthesized current evidence on the effects of exercise-based interventions on fatigue and health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) in adults with sarcoidosis. Following PRISMA guidelines, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched from inception to December 2025. Six studies comprising 11–57 participants across varying disease stages met inclusion criteria. Exercise interventions were generally safe and feasible, including high-intensity resistance training. Across studies, structured exercise and pulmonary rehabilitation consistently improved exercise capacity, muscle strength, dyspnea, and HR-QoL. Reductions in fatigue were observed in several interventions; however, fatigue outcomes were heterogeneous and not always correlated with physiological improvements. Physical activity levels were more associated with exercise capacity and HR-QoL than with fatigue severity, underscoring the multifactorial nature of fatigue in sarcoidosis. Future research should employ standardized fatigue measures, larger samples, and longer follow-up to optimize exercise prescription and address the complex symptom profile of this population. https://www.apssjournal.ir/article_734394.html This review article examines emotional abuse in the coach–athlete relationship, a pervasive yet often underrecognized form of relational maltreatment in sport. Emotional abuse is characterized as a repetitive, non-contact pattern of intentional behaviors aimed at control, which harm the victim's emotional, cognitive, or physical well-being. It encompasses acts such as humiliation, belittling, yelling, threats, isolation, withholding attention or affection, inducing guilt, excessive criticism, and disregarding athletes' concerns or needs. In sport, these behaviors frequently manifest when coaches prioritize performance and winning above athlete well-being, normalizing pressure, “suffering,” and punitive practices as necessary for elite success. Common examples include verbal assaults on appearance or performance, threats of benching or reputational damage, and neglect of emotional support—often perceived by athletes as more damaging than overt anger or physical aggression due to its erosion of self-esteem and relational security. Notably, intent to harm is not required for classification as abuse; behaviors need only be persistent and harmful over time. Many coaches remain unaware of the long-term consequences—such as diminished self-worth, fear, burnout, and eventual sport withdrawal—rationalizing their actions through moral disengagement mechanisms (e.g., goal justification, displacement of responsibility, or viewing practices as industry norms). Victims may similarly fail to recognize or report abuse due to power imbalances and fear of repercussions. The article underscores that psychological safety is essential for optimal athlete development and performance. It calls for greater awareness, education, and accountability to prevent the normalization of emotionally abusive coaching and to foster healthier, more ethical sport environments. https://www.apssjournal.ir/article_734347.html This article shares practical insights from administering the Wechsler Intelligence Scales to athletes with intellectual disabilities for Virtus eligibility classification. As a psychologist preparing athlete files for international competitions, I have conducted numerous assessments using the Wechsler tests—one of the most valid and widely used cognitive measures recognized by Virtus for determining eligibility based on the AAIDD and WHO criteria (IQ ≤ 75, adaptive behavior limitations, and onset before age 21).This paper highlights key observations from my experience: athletes generally perform better on nonverbal scales than verbal sub tests, with particular difficulties observed in Information, Arithmetic, Similarities, and Block Design. Challenges arise from abstract question comprehension, processing speed limitations, working memory deficits, and test-related fatigue. https://www.apssjournal.ir/article_734547.html This study aimed to review the effect of therapeutic exercises in children and adolescents with PDS. A systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines. The search used selected keywords from inception to January 2026 to search PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, SID, Magiran, and IranMedex databases for original and peer-reviewed articles. Google Scholar was also searched for additional records. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute checklist. After searching the mentioned databases, 2837 articles were identified. Ultimately, nine articles were selected for this review based on the inclusion criteria. The findings revealed that corrective exercise programs, including game-based and structured interventions, improve balance, proprioception, muscle activation, strength, postural sway, and body posture. These findings provide a useful contribution to the field and offer a foundation for evidence-based practice and future research in the management of pronation-related disorders. https://www.apssjournal.ir/article_735768.html Exercise is a potent regulator of immune and inflammatory function, yet its impact in para-athletes remains insufficiently characterized due to the physiological diversity imposed by varying impairments. This narrative review synthesizes current evidence on exercise-induced inflammation and immunity across para-sport populations, examining both adaptive and maladaptive processes in relation to training, recovery, and performance. Para-athletes with spinal cord injury, limb deficiency, or cerebral palsy display distinct immunological signatures, influenced by autonomic disruption, altered muscle mass distribution, and neuromotor control deficits. While moderate exercise elicits beneficial cytokine responses and enhances immune surveillance, excessive or unaccustomed training can precipitate chronic low-grade inflammation, delayed recovery, and heightened infection susceptibility. Factors such as exercise modality, intensity, and environmental context (e.g., competition stress, travel, thermal load) further modulate these responses. Evidence supports targeted nutritional and rehabilitative interventions including omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D optimization, antioxidant timing, and neuromuscular electrical stimulation as potential modulators of inflammatory balance. However, methodological limitations, small sample sizes, and inconsistent reporting hinder generalization. A paradigm shift toward impairment-specific, longitudinal, and mechanistic investigations is essential to advance clinical and applied knowledge in this field.