Resilience Mediates the Stigma-Depression Relationship Among Physically Disabled Persons in Osun State, Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58355/psy.v4i3.123Keywords:
Perceived Stigma, Resilience, Depression, Physical Disability, NigeriaAbstract
The current study aimed to test the hypothesis that perceived stigma will be related to depression, and that this relation will be mediated by resilience among physically disabled people in Osun State, Nigeria. A cross-sectional correlational design was employed. Two hundred physically disabled people (64% women, mean age 22.79 years, SD = 4.33) were recruited from healthcare facilities and disability support organisations. Participants completed depression (PHQ-9), perceived stigma, and resilience scales. The PROCESS macro (Model 4; Hayes, 2022), with 5000 bootstrap samples, was used to test mediation. Perceived stigma was positively correlated with depression and negatively correlated with resilience, while resilience was negatively correlated with depression. Stigma retained a significant direct pathway to depression after resilience was entered into the model (c' = .1697, SE = .0397, 95% CI [.0915, .2479]), accounting for roughly 60% of the total effect, while resilience mediated the remaining 40% (indirect effect B = .1128, BootSE = .0288, 95% CI [.0573, .1705]). Stigma and depression are partially mediated by resilience in this population, indicating that stigma-reduction and resilience-building interventions, delivered together rather than as separate programmes, may be more effective in promoting the mental wellbeing of physically disabled Nigerians.
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