KMAN Publication Inc. International Journal of Sport Studies for Health 2588-5782 9 Serial Number 26 2026 07 01 Comparative Analysis of Female Swimmers and Female Para Swimmers: A Deep Dive into Physiological and Psychological Profiles Comparative Analysis of Female Swimmers and Female Para Swimmers: A Deep Dive into Physiological and Psychological Profiles 1 8 10.61838/kman.intjssh.5601 EN Journal Article 2026 04 10 <table> <tbody> <tr> <td> <p><strong>Objective:</strong> This study aimed to compare selected physiological and psychological characteristics of Indian female competitive swimmers in able-bodied and para-swimming categories.</p> <p><strong>Methods and Materials: </strong>Fifty-two female competitive swimmers participated in the study, including 26 able-bodied swimmers and 26 para-swimmers. Physiological measures included peak expiratory flow rate, breath-holding capacity, vital capacity, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Psychological measures included will to win, mental toughness, aggression, and competitive anxiety. A quantitative cross-sectional design was used. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent-samples t-tests, and effect-size estimates. Given the number of comparisons, the findings were interpreted as exploratory.</p> <p><strong>Findings:</strong> Para-swimmers demonstrated a slightly higher will-to-win score than able-bodied swimmers (8.731 ± 1.564 vs. 8.346 ± 1.413). In contrast, able-bodied swimmers reported higher aggression (80.039 ± 14.717 vs. 72.154 ± 13.815), mental toughness (37.269 ± 4.635 vs. 31.885 ± 5.595), and competitive anxiety (19.346 ± 3.006 vs. 16.808 ± 2.482). Differences in mental toughness and competitive anxiety were statistically significant (p &lt; 0.01). Able-bodied swimmers also showed higher peak expiratory flow rate (439.423 ± 52.865 vs. 425.385 ± 38.754 L/min), breath-holding capacity (46.977 ± 6.070 vs. 46.314 ± 6.870 s), and vital capacity (3.327 ± 0.250 vs. 3.208 ± 0.170 L), as well as lower systolic blood pressure (125.039 ± 14.081 vs. 130.000 ± 12.202 mm Hg) and diastolic blood pressure (79.077 ± 11.085 vs. 82.846 ± 6.613 mm Hg). Most physiological differences were not statistically significant (p &gt; 0.05), although the difference in vital capacity was borderline significant after adjustment for unequal variances (p = 0.050).</p> <p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> Physiological and respiratory characteristics were generally comparable between female able-bodied swimmers and para-swimmers. However, significant differences were observed in mental toughness and competitive anxiety. These findings indicate that impairment-related and competitive factors may influence specific psychological characteristics and support the development of tailored, impairment-informed coaching and psychological support programs for female para-swimmers.</p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> https://journals.kmanpub.com/index.php/Intjssh/article/download/5601/11190