The effect of participation of individuals with down syndrome in recreational sports activities on the quality of life and happiness levels of their families

The Effect of Participation of Individuals with Down Syndrome in Recreational Sports Activities on the Quality of Life and Happiness Levels of Their Families Aim: The aim of this doctoral thesis is to investigate whether the participation of individuals with Down syndrome in recreational sports activities has an effect on the quality of life and happiness levels of their female parents. Material and method: The converging parallel design was used within the mixed research model in this study. For the quantitative method, a pre-post test control group matched randomised design was used in the experimental section, where individuals with Down syndrome aged 18-25 were given fun and simple aerobic games for 30 minutes, 3 days a week, for a total of 24 weeks. No intervention was made in the control group. Pre-test and post-test procedures (Personal Information Form, Short Form of the Oxford Happiness Scale, Short Form of the World Health Organisation Quality of Life Scale) were applied to both the experimental and control groups. Parametric tests were performed based on the results of the normality analysis. A 2x2 factorial ANOVA analysis was conducted on the means and standard deviations of the experimental and control groups for the scales. For qualitative research, a case study design was used. Five open-ended research questions were posed to female parents. Content analysis was used to identify codes, categories, and themes. Results: According to the quantitative research results, the pre-test and post-test scores of the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group in terms of happiness and quality of life (p<0.05). The qualitative research results indicate that female parents' statements about themselves and their children with Down syndrome suggest positive improvements in their social, physical, and emotional development. Conclusion: It has been concluded that sports recreation programmes for individuals with Down syndrome increase the happiness levels and quality of life of female parents. KeyWords: Down Syndrome, Sportive recreation, Quality of life, Happiness