抄録
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the psychological effects on middle-aged and elderly individuals who participated in adapted sports with university students.
Methods: Eight middle-aged and elderly people (2 men, 6 women, mean age: 63.6 ± 8.5 yrs) were participated in the experiment. The participants played flying disc (FD), and a soft disc was used for this study, which is safe even when used indoors and played by anyone. The activities played solely by the participants are referred to as the FD, and the activities played by the participants and the university students as the FDwS. Saliva samples were collected from the participants, and the salivary amylase levels were measured and the profile of mood states (POMS2) scores were surveyed. Two-way analysis of variance was used to evaluate the differences in two factors of the time and the additional participation of university students. For each analysis, p< .05 was considered statically significant.
Results: The two-way analysis of variance of the salivary amylase levels shows that there is no significant difference in the main effect and the interaction for the two factors. The POMS scores after both the FD and the FDwS indicate a significant difference only in Vigor/Activity (VA) (F(1,7) =14.878.p< .01) in the time factor.
Conclusion: It is expected that adapted sports have positive effects not only on health promotion of middle-aged and elderly individuals but also on social interactions between different age groups. However, it is difficult to put into practice and to measure the direct effects of the program. This present study demonstrates that there is a great possibility that playing flying disc with appropriate equipment and an adjusted rule is a very effective program to improve VA not only when played among just middle-aged and elderly people but also when played with university students. On the other hand, the analysis of the POMS scores did not show any difference in the other negative mood states. It is, therefore, necessary to improve the program on the basis of these results.
