Wounded warriors: Multiple identities, physical activity and life satisfaction

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of the current study was to examine a model specifying that military, athlete, exercise, and disability identities would predict life satisfaction as mediated by physical activity (PA). Methods: Seventy-one military veterans (N = 71) with impairments participated and completed Exercise, Athlete, Disability, Military, identity scales and Life Satisfaction and PA questionnaires. Results: A mediation model indicated the indirect effect of the four identities on life satisfaction through PA was not significant However, PA was predicted by the 4 identities, [F (4, 66) = 2.49, p = 0.05] and accounted for 13% of the variance, with disability identity having the only significant beta weight. Life satisfaction was also predicted by the 4 identities and PA ([F (5, 65) = 4.88, p = 0.001] and accounted for 27% of the variance. However, only the military and athletic identities had significant beta weights. Conclusions: Our findings provide preliminary support for the value of military veterans maintaining a military identity and holding an athletic identity. The current findings suggest that sport psychologists and rehabilitation professionals take a more nuanced and open-minded perspective about veterans who desire to maintain a military identity when becoming civilians.