Reliability and validity of perceived self-efficacy in wheeled mobility scale among elite wheelchair-dependent athletes with a spinal cord injury

Abstract

Purpose: To study the reliability and validity of the perceived self-efficacy in wheeled mobility scale among elite athletes with a spinal cord injury (SCI). Method: During the Beijing Paralympics, 79 participants with SCI completed the SCI Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale (ESES), the revised Self-Efficacy in Wheeled Mobility scale (SEWM) and the perceived wheeled mobility (WM) at present Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Sample included athletes from 18 countries and subcategorized by gender, lesion level/completeness and type of sports. Reliability and concurrent validity were determined. Results: SEWM Cronbach’s α was 0.905. High internal consistency was confirmed in Split-half correlation coefficient (r = 0.87). Validity was supported by significant correlations between SWEM and ESES total scores (r = 0.64, p < 0.05), and between SEWM and WM VAS scores (r = 0.60; p < 0.001). Subgroups analyses showed that athletes with tetraplegia showed significantly lower WM self-efficacy levels than those with paraplegia. There was a significant difference in perceived WM self-efficacy between athletes who participated in dynamic wheelchair sports and those who participated in non-wheelchair sports (p < 0.03). Conclusions: The SEWM is a reliable and valid scale among Paralympic athletes with SCI. Findings confirmed a significantly higher perception of self-efficacy in WM among athletes who participated in dynamic wheelchair sports.Implications for RehabilitationIncreased self-efficacy in wheeled mobility (WM) may encourage wheelchair users with spinal cord injury (SCI) to approach, persist, and persevere at WM related tasks that were previously avoided.The perceived self-efficacy in WM scale (SEWM), which is available on-line in five different languages, may find clinical applications for people with SCI in different countries.The SEWM can be applied to the assessment of progress in WM levels during the acute rehabilitation phase, and also in structured WM workshops conducted after discharge from the hospital.