Psychosocial Adaptation to Visual Impairment

Abstract

Acquired visual impairment evoked several psychological reactions. A person's adaptation to these reactions and their associated characteristics such as degree of vision loss, membership of a specific demographic, and impact on personality had been investigated. Socio-environmental variables also had an impact on psychological adjustment, and adaptation to vision loss had been explained using psychoanalytic models and stage models. Previous research had thus developed adjustment models incorporating the variables of anxiety, depression, self-esteem, self-efficacy, locus of control, acceptance of disability, attitudes toward blindness, and attributional style, among other influences. However, effective types of treatment based on these variables had not been empirically demonstrated. While grief work had been commonly used in intervention strategies, and there was now more information available about group counseling in this field, their evaluation had been insufficient. As an alternative, we implemented a structured group counseling program to decrease psychological distress in adults with visual impairment. The results indicated that participants who engaged in individual therapy in addition to group counseling showed decreased depression, fatigue, and confusion, and a significantly improved acceptance of their disability. The group counseling combined with individual cognitive therapy could be the effective tool to improve social influences and internal self of the person with visual impairment.

Utilising PRA to develop a postgraduate qualification in visual impairment studies

“…These learners often face stigma and possibly even humiliation by their peers who may not understand them. As such, it is important for them to know how to respond in such cases in a suitable way (Kass 2012;Ueda 2018). At times, these learners may feel embarrassed, especially when they reach their adolescent years and realise that they are not able to demonstrate socially expected norms optimally (Schinazi 2007).…”

“…Finally, learners with visual impairment may experience difficulty in accepting their disability. They may, for example, experience their disability as unfair and in this way prevent themselves from fully embracing life (Ueda 2018). Furthermore, learners with visual impairment may be easily frustrated, particularly when they fail scholastically or in mastering important skills.…”

Human rights and visual impairment

“…Furthermore, some of these learners may struggle with accepting their disability, especially if they were not born blind or with low vision. This may cause frustration and decreased emotional regulation (Ueda 2018). Thus, these learners require psychological support for improvement in many of these psychosocial challenges.…”