People with orthopedic disability experience limitations in physical ability, which can cause psychological problems such as depressive feelings. This paper investigates the role of family environment, caregiver characteristics, and personal resources in the acceptance of disability and depressive feelings of persons with orthopedic disability.
participants and procedureData were collected from 161 Turkish people with orthopedic disability (mean age = 35.60 years, SD = 10.18) and their family caregivers (e.g., parent, spouse). The participants with disability completed scales for functional independence, acceptance of disability, family environment, locus of control, learned resourcefulness, and depression. The family caregivers completed measures of social support, their own depression, burden of caregiving, and acceptance-rejection of their care recipient.
resultsAnalyses via multivariate statistics and SEM showed that depressive feelings of individuals with orthopedic disability and their acceptance of the disability were predicted by multiple factors, including the affected persons' learned resourcefulness and locus of control, family environment, and interactions with their family caregiver, but not by their functional independence.
conclusionsOverall, a supportive family environment and acceptance of disability appear to lower the risk of having depression for individuals with orthopedic disability. Family caregivers' attitudes towards their care recipients were related to the family environment, and feelings of burden appeared to impair the affected individuals' acceptance of their condition. (Pierangelo & Giu liani, 2007). Whether congenital or acquired (traumati cally or gradually), orthopedic disability exerts a major impact on the affected individuals and their families (Keany & Gluekauf, 1993). Limitations in physical abil ity not only adversely influence the mobility of people with orthopedic disability, but can also cause social and psychological problems such as depression (Crichlow, Andres, Morrison, Haley, & Vrahas, 2006;. In order to alleviate these problems, it is important to identify factors that contribute to the depressive feelings they may experience.People with orthopedic disability can often en counter problems such as pain and a progressive decline of energy and muscle use, and may need as sistance for various daily activities such as eating, dressing, transfer, and bowel and bladder care (Rob insonWhelen & Rintala, 2003; Weitzenkamp, Ger hart, Charlifue, & Whiteneck, 1997). Therefore, there is usually a family caregiver who lives with people with orthopedic disabilities and interacts with them on a daily basis (Dreer, Elliott, Shewchuk, Berry, & Rivera, 2007). Due to such a living arrangement that requires continual interaction between the indi vidual with disability and his/her relative, the char acteristics and functioning of the caregiving family member might be among the factors affecting the emotional wellbeing of individuals with disabilities. Yet research on this topic is l...