Relationship between exercise motivation and social support in a support facility for persons with disabilities in Japan

Abstract

Purpose: Exercise motivation (EM) is related to individual capabilities and social support. However, in support facilities for people with disabilities, it is susceptible to a lack of social support. In this study, we classified EM into Autonomous Motivation (AM) and controlled motivation (CM) and then examined the influence of social support. Method: Thirty-three residents from a support facility for people with disabilities in Japan participated in this study. We conducted a hierarchical multiple regression analysis in which age, gender and time since admission were entered in Step 1, mobility and self-efficacy as individual capabilities in Step 2, and family support, facility support and peer support as social support in Step 3. Result: A significant increase in variance from Step 2 to Step 3 was found for both AM (ΔR 2 = 0.504, ΔF = 12.18, p