Perceived Stigma and Self-esteem of the Person with Physical Disability

지체장애인의 지각된 낙인과 자아존중감

Purpose: Perceived stigma may disrupt the ability of people with physical disability to successfully adapt to their situation. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between perceived stigma and self-esteem among adults with physically disabled. Method: The sample was drawn from August to October of 2006 at the rehabilitation centers and public health centers in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do, Korea. The data were collected from 314 persons with physical difficulty. Self-esteem was measured using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Perceived stigma was measured using the Perceived Stigma Scale for the person with physical disability developed by Lee. Result: There were significant differences of perceived stigma of the person with physical disability according to marital status and economic status. There was a statistically significant negative correlation between perceived stigma and self-esteem of the person with physical disability. Conclusion: The Findings of this study suggest that using nursing intervention to decrease the perceived stigma may promote self-esteem among persons with physical disability.