Exploring resilience in sports participation and self-assessed leadership among women in Malaysia: a mixed-methods approach.

INTRODUCTION

Women's sports participation in Malaysia remains disproportionately low despite increasing national emphasis on sports gender equity. Limited empirical literature examining the subject using an integrated sociocultural and psychological perspective in the Malaysian cultural context. This study aimed to assess women resilience in sports in terms of self-perceived efficacy, emotions, self-rated problem-solving, self-assessed leadership and barriers to continuous sports participation.

METHODS

A mixed-methods approach which consists of an online survey and focus groups interviews targeted Malaysian women was employed. Quantitative data were collected from 191 participants using the Resilience Scale, Leadership/Teamwork Self-Efficacy Scale, Positive and Negative Affect Schedule, Shortened Problem-Solving Skills and Leadership Self-Assessment, whilst qualitative data were collected from two separate focus groups comprising women who were active (n = 6), and inactive (n = 7) in sports.

RESULTS

Survey data analysis demonstrated Leadership and Teamwork Self-Efficacy, Positive Affect and Problem-Solving Skills significantly accounted for variance in Resilience. Thematic analysis revealed five key themes: (1) barriers to sustained sports participation, (2) gender influences and societal expectations, (3) community, motivation, and leadership, (4) the role of social media in empowerment, and (5) policy awareness and institutional support.

DISCUSSION: These findings provide insights for future longitudinal or interventions studies targeting factors account for variance in building resilience as an internal resource for women in sports, while highlighting systemic and sociocultural barriers hindering women's sports participation that should be addressed to further gender equity in the Malaysian sports environment.