The meaning of leisure for children and young people with physical disabilities: a systematic evidence synthesis

Abstract

Aim Participation in leisure has known health benefits. Children and young people (CYP) with physical disabilities demonstrate reduced participation in leisure. To facilitate their meaningful participation, one must understand what leisure means to CYP. The aim of this study was to systematically synthesize evidence from qualitative studies on the meaning of leisure for CYP with physical disabilities. Methods CINAHL, MEDLINE, AMED, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and ERIC were searched periodically from January 2012 until May 2013. Qualitative studies reporting the views of CYP (0–18y) with physical disabilities on leisure participation were included. The analysis involved thematic syntheses, double coding, and established quality appraisal procedures. Results Twelve studies met inclusion criteria, addressing the leisure experiences of 146 CYP with disabilities. Four themes core to the meaning of leisure for these CYP were (1) ‘fun’: the enjoyment and pleasure experienced from leisure; (2) ‘freedom’ of choice and from constraints; (3) ‘fulfilment’: discovering, developing, and displaying potential; and (4) ‘friendship’: social connectedness and belonging. Interpretation The identified themes resonate with the psychological needs outlined by self‐determination theory: fun relates to satisfaction and intrinsic motivation; freedom relates to ‘autonomy’; fulfilment relates to a belief in 'competence'; and friendship resonates with ‘relatedness’. Social context had an impact on all of these themes, indicating that this is an important target for leisure participation interventions.

A realist evaluation of a physical activity participation intervention for children and youth with disabilities: what works, for whom, in what circumstances, and how?

“…Current developmental theories and models emphasise the importance of understanding the social context of children and the reciprocal nature of child-environment interactions [7, 8]. Similarly, two recently published reviews of leisure participation describe the central role of social contexts in creating meaningful experiences for children and youth with disabilities [9, 10]. However, there is limited exploration of other aspects of context in participation literature [11].…”

Leisure participation–preference congruence of children with cerebral palsy: a Children's Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment International Network descriptive study

“…Prior research has also demonstrated that preferences are an important predictor of participation in leisure . Because leisure participation is reported to provide fulfilment, friendship, and a sense of belonging, it is also an important avenue for development of self‐determination …”

Quality of Life and Psychosocial Well-Being in Youth With Neuromuscular Disorders Who Are Wheelchair Users: A Systematic Review

“…Optimal wellbeing and social participation in youth with NMD who are NIV users is possible, though published accounts are of single cases only 16 . As social connectedness with peers with similar life experiences is a powerful enhancer of physical and mental wellbeing in other groups living with disability 65,66 , the low scores in QoL leisure and social participation domains for youth with NMD across studies sourced in this review are of concern.…”

“…This is surprising, given social participation is an identified priority in youth with NMD 15 and the value of social connectedness to long term health and wellbeing is known 65,77 . Future longitudinal research utilising standardised measures to describe the social worlds of adolescents growing up with progressive, chronic illness is necessary to aid deeper understanding of how health care supports and interventions impact on adolescents' short and long term wellbeing 78 .…”