Associations of perceived stigma, perceived environmental inaccessibility, and self-compassion among people with physical disability in Hong Kong

Abstract

BackgroundPeople with physical disability are chronically stigmatized. They might internalize ableist attitudes and behaviors that they perceive from others, which can negatively affect social participation and well-being. It is essential to explore potential risk and protective factors associated with stigma perceptions. ObjectiveThe present study proposed and tested the positive associations of perceived environmental inaccessibility and self-coldness with perceived stigma, and the negative associations of self-warmth with perceived stigma, respectively, among people with physical disability in Hong Kong. MethodsA cross-sectional sample of 98 adults with physical disability (42.3% female, mean age = 36.4 years) from 10 nongovernmental organizations in Hong Kong participated in the study. They filled in a self-report questionnaire on perceived stigma, perceived environmental inaccessibility, self-compassion, basic activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), and demographics. Main resultsHierarchical multiple regression showed that ADL and IADL alone (Model 1) did not significantly predict perceived stigma. The full model of ADL, IADL, perceived environmental inaccessibility, self-warmth, and self-coldness to predict perceived stigma (Model 2) was significant and explained 53.9% variance in perceived stigma. Perceived environmental inaccessibility and self-coldness were significantly and positively associated with perceived stigma, respectively. Self-warmth was significantly and negatively associated with perceived stigma. ConclusionsThe findings supported the important associations of both external contexts (i.e., as environmental inaccessibility) and internal resources (i.e., as self-compassion) with perceived stigma among people with physical disability. The findings inform future research and three-pronged design approaches to stigma reduction programs for people with physical disability.