Mental health and psychological well-being among malaysian para-athletes: a gender-based analysis

Vollständiger Abstract

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Introduction: Mental health has become an important concern in elite sport, particularly among para-athletes who face the combined demands of high-performance competition and disability-related challenges. Despite growing attention to athlete mental health, limited evidence exists regarding the psychological functioning of Malaysian elite para-athletes. Objective: This study examined depression, anxiety, stress, and eudaimonic psychological well-being among Malaysian elite para-athletes and investigated gender differences across these psychological outcomes. Methodology: A quantitative cross-sectional design was employed involving 115 elite para-athletes representing various Paralympic sports in Malaysia. Participants completed the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) and the Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS). Data were analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics Version 29. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise participants' psychological characteristics, while independent-samples t-tests were conducted to examine gender differences. Results: Results indicated that Malaysian elite para-athletes generally reported low levels of depression, anxiety, and stress, alongside moderate-to-high psychological well-being. Independent-samples t-tests revealed no significant gender differences across all psychological variables (p > .05). Discussion and Conclusions: Guided by Self-Determination Theory, this study contributes to the literature on mental health in elite adaptive sport and highlights the need for evidence-based psychological support to promote holistic development among high-performance para-athletes.