Analysis of Psychological and Sleep Quality Characteristics of Young and Adult Para-Athletes with Cerebral Palsy During Competitive Period

Muñoz-Hinrichsen, Fernando; Herrera-Miranda, Felipe; Riquelme, Sonny; Henríquez, Matías; Álvarez-Ruf, Joel; Cornejo, María Isabel; Castelli Correia Campos, Luis Felipe

doi:10.3390/sports13070203

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of Psychological and Sleep Quality Characteristics of Young and Adult Para-Athletes with Cerebral Palsy During Competitive Period

by

Fernando Muñoz-Hinrichsen

^1,2,*

,

Felipe Herrera-Miranda

³,

Sonny Riquelme

⁴,

Matías Henríquez

⁵,

Joel Álvarez-Ruf

^2,6,7

,

María Isabel Cornejo

⁵

and

Luis Felipe Castelli Correia Campos

⁸

¹

Laboratorio de Actividad Física, Salud, y Rendimiento Humano, Departamento de Kinesiología, Facultad de Artes y Educación Física, Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educación, José Pedro Alessandri 774, Ñuñoa, Santiago 7760197, Chile

²

ParaLab, Departamento de Kinesiología, Facultad de Artes y Educación Física, Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educación, José Pedro Alessandri 774, Ñuñoa, Santiago 7760197, Chile

³

Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Viña del Mar, Agua Santa 7055, Viña del Mar 2520000, Chile

⁴

Escuela de Ciencia del Deporte y Actividad Física, Facultad de Salud, Universidad Santo Tomás, José Miguel Carrera 158, Santiago 8320000, Chile

⁵

Escuela de Kinesiología, Facultad de Salud, Universidad Santo Tomás, José Miguel Carrera 158, Santiago 8320000, Chile

⁶

Laboratorio de Cognición y Comportamiento Sensoriomotor, Departamento de Kinesiología, Facultad de Artes y Educación Física, Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educación, José Pedro Alessandri 774, Ñuñoa, Santiago 7760197, Chile

⁷

Laboratorio de Biomecánica Clínica, Carrera de Kinesiología, Facultad de Medicina Clínica Alemana de Santiago, Universidad del Desarrollo, Av. Plaza 680, Las Condes, Santiago 7610658, Chile

⁸

Núcleo de Investigación en Ciencias de la Motricidad Humana, Universidad Adventista de Chile, Camino a Las Mariposas 11771, Chillan 3780000, Chile

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Sports 2025, 13(7), 203; https://doi.org/10.3390/sports13070203

Submission received: 14 April 2025 / Revised: 15 May 2025 / Accepted: 27 May 2025 / Published: 24 June 2025

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Abstract

Emotional processes and sleep quality have become fundamental aspects of performance in Paralympic sports among elite and youth athletes. The objective of this study was to compare levels of depression, stress, anxiety, and sleep quality among youth and adult athletes with cerebral palsy (CP) belonging to the national CP Football team in Chile. A total of 10 adult and 12 youth national team athletes participated, completing the DASS-21, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and Epworth Sleepiness Scale questionnaires. The athletes were competing in their respective categories at the 2024 Parapan American Games. A cross-sectional design was used to compare the parameters of depression, stress, anxiety, and sleep quality of youth and adult male athletes with CP of a national team selected to compete in a regional event. Significant differences were found where young athletes had lower levels of depression (χ² = 4.77, p = 0.02, OR = 11.0) and anxiety (χ² = 6.71, p = 0.01, OR = 16.5). Similar differences could be observed in favor of young athletes in sleep latency (p = 0.04; d = 0.34), bedtime (p = 0.02; d = 0.20), total hours of sleep (p = 0.04; d = 0.10), subjective sleep quality (p = 0.002; d = 0.56), and objective sleep quality (p < 0.001; d = 0.65). This study suggests that adult para-athletes from a national CP Football team exhibit higher levels of depression and anxiety compared to their youth counterparts. Additionally, objective and subjective measures show that adults experience poorer sleep quality. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions by psychological support teams, aiming to enhance athlete performance by promoting healthy habits that address these mental health challenges.

Keywords: football; paralympic; cerebral palsy; disability

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MDPI and ACS Style

Muñoz-Hinrichsen, F.; Herrera-Miranda, F.; Riquelme, S.; Henríquez, M.; Álvarez-Ruf, J.; Cornejo, M.I.; Castelli Correia Campos, L.F. Analysis of Psychological and Sleep Quality Characteristics of Young and Adult Para-Athletes with Cerebral Palsy During Competitive Period. Sports 2025, 13, 203. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports13070203

AMA Style

Muñoz-Hinrichsen F, Herrera-Miranda F, Riquelme S, Henríquez M, Álvarez-Ruf J, Cornejo MI, Castelli Correia Campos LF. Analysis of Psychological and Sleep Quality Characteristics of Young and Adult Para-Athletes with Cerebral Palsy During Competitive Period. Sports. 2025; 13(7):203. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports13070203

Chicago/Turabian Style

Muñoz-Hinrichsen, Fernando, Felipe Herrera-Miranda, Sonny Riquelme, Matías Henríquez, Joel Álvarez-Ruf, María Isabel Cornejo, and Luis Felipe Castelli Correia Campos. 2025. "Analysis of Psychological and Sleep Quality Characteristics of Young and Adult Para-Athletes with Cerebral Palsy During Competitive Period" Sports 13, no. 7: 203. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports13070203

APA Style

Muñoz-Hinrichsen, F., Herrera-Miranda, F., Riquelme, S., Henríquez, M., Álvarez-Ruf, J., Cornejo, M. I., & Castelli Correia Campos, L. F. (2025). Analysis of Psychological and Sleep Quality Characteristics of Young and Adult Para-Athletes with Cerebral Palsy During Competitive Period. Sports, 13(7), 203. https://doi.org/10.3390/sports13070203

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Analysis of Psychological and Sleep Quality Characteristics of Young and Adult Para-Athletes with Cerebral Palsy During Competitive Period

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