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Abstract

The continuous professional development of psychologists in adaptive sports is a necessary condition for high-quality psychological support of Paralympic athletes. However, the factors that determine its effectiveness remain insufficiently studied. The study aims to identify individual, organizational, and structural factors that influence the professional development of psychologists working in adaptive sports. The study used a mixed longitudinal design with three measurement points (2022-2025). The sample included 115 psychologists selected through purposive sampling and representatives of 32 employer organizations. A specialized 54-item questionnaire was used to assess competences. Statistical analysis employed the Mann-Whitney U test, the Kruskal-Wallis test, and the Spearman’s correlation analysis. The results have showed that the strongest predictors of specialized competence levels are international internships (rs=0.61, p<0.01) and supervision (rs=0.49, p<0.01), while years of professional experience show a much weaker correlation with competence (rs=0.28, p<0.01). The type of employer organization acts as a significant moderator of professional development: specialists from Paralympic centers outperform colleagues from other types of organizations in both competence levels and access to institutional support (H=18.4, p<0.01). The gap between specialists’ self-assessment and employers’ expectations is selective and concentrated in spheres specific to adaptive sports. These findings support the need to institutionalize supervision and mentoring, expand access to international professional exchange, and develop specialized educational content for psychologists in this field.

Keywords: Adaptive sports, Continuing professional development, Professional competences, Paralympic sports, Supervision, Organizational factors

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