Abstract
We investigate whether changes in life circumstances lead to long-lasting changes in subjective well-being using a medical intervention that provided orthotic equipment to Ugandan adults with lower limb disabilities. The intervention had a positive effect on mobility and physical health, and treated patients reported a significant improvement in life satisfaction in the first few months after the treatment. However, the effect on subjective well-being was not prolonged. After one year, life satisfaction returned to the pre-treatment levels. The evidence of adaptation is also supported by evidence of changes in patients’ reference levels, in the form of aspirations measured as both the level of income considered sufficient to live well, and the minimum income to make ends meet.
Highlights
Recognition of the plight of people with disabilities in developing countries has recently come to the forefront of policy makers’ agendas reflected in the United Nations 2015 Sustainable Development Goals
With access to data that measures the impact of a medical intervention, this paper investigates the relationship between changes to the physical health status of adults with physical disabilities in Uganda and their subsequent subjective well-being, focusing primarily on the phenomenon of hedonic adaptation
The evidence that the treatment effect on perceived physical health is insignificant after one year, even for those whose mobility improved, may suggest that this indicator is more affected by response shifts than the more direct WHODAS II mobility measure, which seems to correspond better to changes in objective measures
Summary
Recognition of the plight of people with disabilities in developing countries has recently come to the forefront of policy makers’ agendas reflected in the United Nations 2015 Sustainable Development Goals. Fafchamps and Kebede's (2012) study using crosssectional data in Ethiopia is the only paper to our knowledge They do not find evidence of adaptation to disability which has a significant negative effect on life satisfaction irrespective of the time elapsed since the onset. The literature on hedonic adaptation suggests that after major events that initially increase or decrease subjective well-being, individuals tend to adapt to their condition over time, so that life satisfaction reverts to its pre-change level, or close to it in the case of partial adaptation (Helson, 1964, Parducci, 1968, Frederick and Loewenstein, 1999).
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
