Validation of a Scale for Body and Sexual Self-Esteem in Athletes with Disabilities

The objective was to examine the sexual and body self-esteem of Brazilian competitive athletes with physical disabilities using The Physical Disability Sexual and Body Esteem Scale (PDSBE). This study involved 150 men and 58 women over 18 years of age engaged in various sports activities. The participants obtained a mean of 42.66 (±8.11) on the scale for body and sexual self-esteem. Mean scores were similar for both sexes and among types of physical disability. The body and sexual self-esteem indexes for Brazilian para-athletes were found to be significantly higher with respect to the population of individuals with disabilities previously examined with the PDSBE. The scale showed itself to be a valid instrument in measuring body and sexual dimensions (α = .907) among the Brazilian subjects, despite loading on only 2-D (sexual esteem and level of externally perceived sexual attraction), skipping one of the original dimensions (body esteem).