Alliance for Research in Exercise, Nutrition and Activity (ARENA), University of South Australia, School of Allied Health and Human Performance, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
Corresponding author: Karlee Nauman, University of South Australia, GPO Box 2471, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia, ORCID: 0000-0003-1887-2336.
Diving Hyperb Med. 2021 Dec 20;51(4):355-360. doi: 10.28920/dhm51.4.355-360.
Recreational scuba diving has existed for over 70 years with organisations emerging that teach individuals with disabilities to dive. It is unclear what the physical and psychosocial effects of scuba interventions might be. This systematic review explores evidence for the effects of scuba diving in individuals with neurological disability, intellectual disability and autism.
The databases Medline, EMBASE, Ovid Emcare, and SportDiscus were searched. Included papers described a scuba-based intervention for clients with a neurological disability, intellectual disability and autism, with physical or psychosocial outcomes explored in the paper. Quality of the included papers was assessed using the McMaster Appraisal Tools, with descriptive data synthesis completed to explore the physical and psychosocial effects of the interventions.
Four papers met the inclusion criteria: a cross-sectional investigation, a phenomenological study, a case-control study and a multiple case study. The quality of the papers was low to moderate. Papers addressed the psychosocial effects of scuba diving, including motivation to participate, participant experiences, the effect on cognition and physical self-concept. One study reported an increase in self-concept for the majority of participants. An increase in understanding instructions and in visual attention was reported in another. Enjoyment of the activity was reported and motivators to be involved in scuba diving for people with disabilities included fun and excitement. No papers addressed functional outcomes.
Whilst scuba diving interventions appear to enhance physical self-concept and are enjoyable, conclusive evidence regarding effectiveness could not be determined. Research in this area is extremely limited.
休闲潜水已经存在了 70 多年，在此期间出现了许多组织，专门为残疾人士教授潜水。目前尚不清楚潜水干预对神经残疾、智力残疾和自闭症患者可能产生的身体和心理影响。本系统综述探讨了潜水对神经残疾、智力残疾和自闭症患者的影响的证据。
检索了 Medline、EMBASE、Ovid Emcare 和 SportDiscus 数据库。纳入的论文描述了针对神经残疾、智力残疾和自闭症患者的基于潜水的干预措施，论文中探讨了身体或心理社会结果。使用麦克马斯特评估工具评估纳入论文的质量，并完成描述性数据综合，以探讨干预措施的身体和心理社会影响。
有 4 篇论文符合纳入标准：一项横断面调查、一项现象学研究、一项病例对照研究和一项多案例研究。论文的质量为低至中度。论文涉及潜水的心理社会影响，包括参与动机、参与者体验、对认知和身体自我概念的影响。一项研究报告说，大多数参与者的自我概念有所增强。另一项研究报告说，理解指令和视觉注意力有所提高。报告了对活动的享受，残疾人士参与潜水的动机包括乐趣和兴奋。没有论文涉及功能结果。
尽管潜水干预似乎增强了身体自我概念，并且令人愉快，但仍无法确定其有效性的明确证据。该领域的研究非常有限。
