Abstract
Physical activity (PA) is an important predictor of mental health outcomes in “healthy” samples. Several mechanisms have proven valuable in explaining this association including self-efficacy, social support, and anxiety sensitivity. However, it is unclear if these findings generalize to individuals with mobility disabilities (MDs) for whom PA might look a little different. Preliminary research suggests that there may be differences in the association between PA and mental health in and in how PA is associated with anxiety sensitivity in people with MDs. Thus, the aim of this of this study was to explore whether PA is associated with social support and self-efficacy and if this association was impacted (i.e., moderated) by the presence of a MD. Method. 231 participants (58.4% self-identified as having a MD) completed a cross-sectional online survey that contained measures of PA, self-efficacy, and social support. Results. Moderation analyses showed that PA was not significantly associated with social support but it was significantly associated with self-efficacy. Furthermore, the strength of the association between PA and self-efficacy was significantly moderated by group (i.e., no MD, acquired MD, and congenital MD) where the association was the stronger for the congenital MD group than the other two groups. Discussion. Results demonstrate that PA increases self-efficacy, potentially more so among individuals with a MD than those without. Next, research should consider whether self-efficacy mediates the association between PA and mental health in MD populations.
