The effect of mother-participated sports activities on the awareness levels of Turkish mothers having children with intellectual disabilities towards the effect of sports: a pilot study

Objectives: The purpose of the pilot study was to investigate the effects of a mother-participated sports activities on the awareness levels of mothers having children with intellectual disabilities (ID) towards the effects of sports. Method: The study group constituted 24 mothers having children with ID. Participants were randomly allocated into a application group (n = 12, mean age = 40.41; SD = 4.52 years) and a control group (n = 12, mean age = 39.16; SD = 4.96 years). The mothers and their children with ID in application group were applied for 1 h a day for 3 days a week throughout 16 weeks with a sports program. During the program, while the mothers in application group directly participated in sports activities once a week with their children, they observed the performances of their children for two days as observers. The data were obtained by Awareness Scale towards the Effect of Sports on Individuals Having Intellectual Disability. Results: The findings indicated that there was a significant increase in the awareness level of application group towards the effects of sports. Conclusion: In light of present findings, we concluded that sports activities might have a positive effect on the awareness levels of mothers having children with ID towards the effects of sports. It is recommended that the findings of this pilot study should be further examined in future research.