Self-Esteem, General & Sexual Self-Concepts in Blind People - Iran

Background:

People with visual disability have lower self-esteem and social skills than sighted people. This study was designed to describe self-esteem and general and sexual self-concepts in blind people.

Materials and Methods:

This was a cross-sectional study, conducted in the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in 2013-2014. In this study, 138 visually impaired people participated from Isfahan Province Welfare Organization and were interviewed for measuring of self-esteem and self-concept using Eysenck self-esteem and Rogers’ self-concept questionnaires. The correlation between above two variables was measured using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software by Pearson correlation test.

Results:

Mean [± standard deviation (SD)] age of patients was 30.9 ± 8 years. The mean (±SD) of general self-concept score was 11 ± 5.83. The mean (±SD) of self-esteem score was 16.62 ± 2.85. Pearson correlation results showed a significant positive correlation between self-esteem and general self-concept (r = 0.19, P = 0.025). The mean of sexual self-concept scores in five subscales (sexual anxiety, sexual self-efficacy, sexual self-esteem, sexual fear, and sexual depression) were correspondingly 11 ± 4.41, 19.53 ± 4.53, 12.96 ± 4.19, 13.48 ± 1.76, and 5.38 ± 2.36. Self-esteem and self-concept had significant positive correlation with sexual anxiety (r = 0.49; P < 0.001) (r = –.23; P < 0.001) and sexual fear (r = 0.25; P = 0.003) (r = 0.18; P = 0.02) and negative correlation with sexual self-efficacy (r = –0.26; P = 0.002) (r = –0.28; P = 0.001) and sexual-esteem (r = –0.34; P < 0.001) (r = –0.34; P < 0.001).

Conclusion:

Self-esteem and self-concept had significant correlation with sexual anxiety and sexual fear; and negative correlation with sexual self-efficacy and sexual-esteem.

Below:  Distributions of general self-concept and self-esteem in the participants

Full article at:   http://goo.gl/OiPQul

By:  Mehrdad Salehi,¹ Abas Azarbayejani,¹ Katayoun Shafiei,¹ Tayebe Ziaei,² and Bahar Shayegh³

¹Department of Psychiatry, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

²Counseling and Reproductive Health Research Centre, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran

³Department of Pediatric Psychiatric, Al Zahra Hospital, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

Address for correspondence: Dr. Tayebe Ziaei, Counseling and Reproductive Health Research Centre, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran. E-mail: moc.oohay@eeaiz.ebeyat

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