Effect of International Paralympics Summer Youth Camp on self-esteem

Özet

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the changes in self-esteem in children with disabilities participating the First International Paralympics Youth Summer Camp.Methods: Thirty disabled children from the United States (USA), Kenya, and Turkey with visual impairments and physical disabilities (17M, 13F, 7 visual impairment, 23 physical disability, mean age: 14.77±1.64 years) participated in this study. Eligibility criteria for admission were to be native English and Turkish speaker and willingness to participate. Turkish and English version of a valid and reliable the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale were applied to the children on the first and the last days of the camp to assess the changes in self-esteem levels. The Wilcoxon test was used to compare the differences in selfesteem between pre-and post-camp conditions.Results: Self-esteem level increased significantly in children from Turkey but decreased significantly in children from Kenya at the end of the camp (p<0.05). There was no significant change in self-esteem level of children from USA (p=0.66).Conclusion: It is recommended that camps with different durations and more participants in further studies should be organized to determine the effects of camps on the self-esteem.