Quality of Life of People with Physical Disabilities in a Rural Block of Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

Poor participation in society, stigma and discrimination can contribute to poor life satisfaction and quality of life among people with disabilities. This study aimed to assess the quality of life of people with physical disabilities. A total of 203 individuals with physical disabilities were sampled through simple random sampling method from the people with disabilities registry in Kaniyambadi, a rural block in Tamil Nadu, India. Quality of life was measured using the WHO QOL-BREF. Severity of disability was assessed using the WHO DAS 2.0. Of the persons with physical disabilities, 37.5% rated their quality of life as poor and 92.4% experienced negative feelings often. Dissatisfaction about health was present among 35% of the individuals. Acquired disability and severe disability were significantly associated with lower scores in the physical and psychological domain of quality of life. Being single, belonging to poor socio-economic status and having severe disability were factors which were significantly associated with lower scores in the social and environmental domain of quality of life. Marital and socio-economic status significantly impacts the social and environmental domain of quality of life of people with disabilities. National programmes on disability should target on provision of inclusive educational and occupational opportunities with the aid of assistive technologies for people with disabilities, for improvement of quality of life.