Transplant recipients’ motivational orientation towards sport participation and physical activity enjoyment at the 2019 World Transplant Games in Newcastle-Gateshead UK

Abstract

This study adopted a descriptive correlational design to identify organ transplant athletes' motivational behaviour and level of physical activity enjoyment during the 2019 World Transplant Games. The causal relationship between motivational behaviour and enjoyment was also determined. Data was collected through questionnaires during the event that tapped participants' demographic information and responses to the Task and Ego Orientation Questionnaire, Sport Motivation Scale-2 and Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale. Descriptive statistics revealed that transplant athletes (n = 119; Mage = 52.92 years, SD = 13.51) find sport mostly enjoyable whilst holding a strong task-oriented approach towards sport participation with high approximations of intrinsic, integrated and identified motivation. Male and female athletes also shared a relatively similar motivational profile with male athletes reporting significantly higher levels of sport enjoyment compared to their female counterparts. Inferential statistics further revealed significant associations between most dimensions of motivation and level of enjoyment, of which gender and certain aspects of motivation were exposed as significant predictors of athletes' reported enjoyment in sport. It is advised that autonomous regulatory behaviours be garnered in transplant recipients looking to start/continue sport participation as it proved to be prime correlates and determinants of enjoyment in sport.

Characteristics of transplant athletes competing at national and international transplant games

“…The third reason reported was to compete for fun. For a group of non-transplant participants who were younger (18–25 years) but similar to the current population in terms of ethnicity (80% white) and BMI, men exercised for enjoyment more so than women who exercised for weight related reasons,36 a finding that has recently been observed for TxA 37. As the current population were Transplant Games competitors, it could be argued that both male and female participants may be more competitively motivated.…”

“…For a group of non-transplant participants who were younger (18–25 years) but similar to the current population in terms of ethnicity (80% white) and BMI, men exercised for enjoyment more so than women who exercised for weight related reasons, 36 a finding that has recently been observed for TxA. 37 As the current population were Transplant Games competitors, it could be argued that both male and female participants may be more competitively motivated. However, much smaller numbers of competitors aimed to win national or international events with even fewer competing to break records, thus highlighting a predominantly enjoyment-based driver.…”

Supporting transplant athletes: perspectives on delivery of a sports performance and well-being service at the British Transplant Games

“…In addition to individual differences in performance capacity transplantation can cause significant physical, psychological, social, and emotional issues impacting upon general health status and may limit such participation ( 12 – 15 ). Studies of TxA motivations for and the impact of competing at the Games ( 11 , 16 – 18 ) are evident, however apart from informal performance support during training camps and at the World Transplant Games in 2019 and 2023 1 there is no extant literature on the role applied sport psychology had played in such a context ( 19 ). The authors believe this to be the first paper to offer perspectives on the delivery of a sports performance and well-being service at a British Transplant Games (BTG).…”

An Initial Exploration of Fatigue as a Predictor of Quality of Life in Transplant Athletes Competing at National and International Events.

“…This leaves transplant recipient athletes to resort to generic training advice that is likely not tailored to their unique condition, which might undermine the health-related benefits and fitness associated with exercise/physical activity, as well as their enjoyment, performance, and overall well-being in sport. Enjoyment and well-being not only serve as key psychological components of QoL (WHO, 1996), but are appositely indicated by transplant recipient athletes as primary motivators for engaging and sustaining post-operative sport participation (Jooste et al, 2020;Hames et al, 2022). With this said, it should be noted with the advances in modern medicine and post-operative management of transplant surgery, there is a continuous growth in transplant recipient athletes taking up sport participation (Wright et al, 2019;Wiltshire et al, 2020).…”