Participation anxiety as a pathway to coping disengagement among university students with asthma
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55040/mb3c7r16Keywords:
PATHFit, participation anxiety, coping disengagement, mediation, mixed methodsAbstract
University students with asthma may experience instructional, environmental, and psychological barriers that affect participation in mandatory physical education. This study examined the relationships among instructional intensity barriers, participation anxiety, and coping disengagement using a cross-sectional explanatory sequential mixed-methods design. Quantitative data from 45 undergraduate students with medically documented asthma (n = 45) were analyzed using descriptive statistics and ordinary least squares path analysis, followed by qualitative interviews with 20 participants analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis. Instructional intensity barriers were positively associated with participation anxiety (β = 0.4956, p < .001), which was positively associated with coping disengagement (β = 0.5156, p < .001). The indirect effect was significant (β = 0.2556, p < .01), while the direct association between instructional intensity barriers and coping disengagement became negative after accounting for participation anxiety (β = −0.2356, p < .05), indicating inconsistent mediation. Qualitative findings contextualized these relationships through environmental respiratory triggers, repeated health disclosure, and adaptive self-regulation strategies. The findings highlight participation anxiety as an important psychological pathway associated with coping disengagement and support health-responsive approaches to inclusive physical education. They also informed preliminary design considerations for a proposed Dance Fitness Learning Module (DFLM), which requires future implementation and evaluation before its effectiveness can be established.
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