RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
A1 Goran, Kasum
A1 Lazarević, Ljubiša
A1 Jakovljević, Saša
A1 Bačanac, Ljubica
A1 Eminović, Fadilj
T1 Personality characteristics of Serbian male wheelchair and professional basketball players
JF Acta Universitatis Palackianae Olomucensis. Gymnica
YR 2012
VO 42
IS 2
SP 41
OP 47
DO 10.5507/ag.2012.011
UL https://gymnica.upol.cz/artkey/gym-201202-0005.php
AB Background: Sport, as social phenomena, may achieve a very positive influence on health and the social state of people with disability who practice it. In sport activities of athletes with disability, team sports may take a very important place. 
Objective: The aims of this study were: a) to investigate personality characteristics of male professional basketball players and wheelchair basketball players, b) to compare these characteristics of two kinds of athletes. 
Methods: For the purposes of this study, professional basketball players (N = 29) and wheelchair basketball players (N = 25) had completed a Cattell 16PF questionnaire which estimated personality characteristics. Differences between two groups of participants were calculated by t-test for small samples. 
Results: Results demonstrated the existence of differences in the expression of certain forms of behaviour within certain dimensions of personality between these two groups. Wheelchair basketball players had higher scores at factor M - Abstractedness (t = -1.889; p = 0.046), which means that they are more preoccupied by themselves and their inner mental life.  Wheelchair basketball players had lower scores, on factors: C - Emotional Stability (t = 2.097; p = 0.041), E - Dominance (t = 3.530; p = 0.001), F - Liveliness (t = 2.658; p = 0.010) and N - Privateness (t = 2.527; p = 0.015). 
Conclusions: Wheelchair basketball players are, compared with professional basketball players, more emotive; they have a lack of self-esteem, less ready for teamwork and collaboration; they are naive and unpretentious. Considering these results, coaches who are involved in work with wheelchair basketball players have to adjust their methods of trainings, especially those coaches who were working with basketball players without disability. Also, coaches' influence can stimulate eventual changes in some above mentioned characteristics of wheelchair basketball players in more desirable course.