Engagement in gamified virtual reality sports activities and sports participation intention among adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: the mediating roles of immersion and enjoyment.

BACKGROUND

Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face multiple barriers to sports participation because of cognitive rigidity, sensory processing difficulties, and challenges in social interaction. Gamified virtual reality (VR) sports activities have emerged as a potential approach to support physical activity in this population. However, limited research has examined the psychological mechanisms underlying engagement in gamified VR sports activities among adolescents with ASD. Therefore, this study examined the association between engagement in gamified VR sports activities and sports participation intention among adolescents with ASD, focusing on the mediating roles of immersion and enjoyment.

METHODS

A total of 179 adolescents with ASD (aged 10-19 years; 78.2% male) and 179 corresponding proxy respondents (teachers and sports instructors) participated in this study, each forming a one-to-one respondent-participant pair. The participants were recruited from special education schools and sports clubs in South Korea that were equipped with non-immersive VR sports systems. Engagement in gamified VR sports activities, immersion, enjoyment, and sports participation intention were assessed using a structured questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to evaluate the measurement model, and structural equation modeling with bootstrapping was used to test the hypothesized relationships.

RESULTS

Engagement in gamified VR sports activities was positively associated with immersion (β = 0.337, p < 0.001) and enjoyment (β = 0.435, p < 0.001). Both immersion (β = 0.329, p < 0.001) and enjoyment (β = 0.403, p < 0.001) were significantly associated with sports participation intention. In addition, both immersion (95% CI = 0.155 to 0.382, p < 0.001) and enjoyment (95% CI = 0.139 to 0.359, p < 0.001) had significant indirect effects on the relationship between engagement and sports participation intention.

CONCLUSION

The findings suggest that both immersion and enjoyment serve as meaningful psychological mediators linking engagement in gamified VR sports activities to sports participation intention among adolescents with ASD. The structured and predictable nature of gamified VR sports environments may be particularly well-suited to the cognitive and sensory characteristics of adolescents with ASD, facilitating psychological involvement and positive affective responses associated with greater sports participation intention. However, given the cross-sectional design and the use of proxy-reported measures, the findings should be interpreted with caution.