Development and validation of the Physical Disability Identity Scale: A multistudy quantitative investigation with participant feedback.
Payton D Rule, Kaylin Ratner, Emily C Willroth and 1 others
PMID 39946623WHAT IT FOUND
A new scale measures six ways people relate to their physical disability.
Feeling connected or satisfied with the identity linked to better wellbeing. Seeing disability as central to self or shaped by it linked to worse mental health and more discrimination.
Key findings
01The scale identifies six distinct factors: Connection, Satisfaction, Centrality, Openness, Individual Self-Stereotyping, and Disability Lens.
02Factors related to positive identity (Connection, Satisfaction, Openness) were associated with better wellbeing, while factors related to salience and stereotyping (Centrality, Individual Self-Stereotyping, Disability Lens) were associated with worse outcomes.
03Disability pride was the strongest correlate for Connection, Satisfaction, and Centrality factors.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The studies were cross-sectional, so causality cannot be determined. The sample was predominantly white, middle-aged, and US-based, limiting generalizability to other demographics. Participants self-reported physical disabilities without clinical verification of specific disability types. The study did not test interactions between variables due to limited statistical power.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that high 'Centrality' causes poor wellbeing. The authors note that experiencing discrimination may lead to both higher Centrality and lower wellbeing, so the direction of this relationship is unclear.
Summarised by AI from the full paper, without a clinician reviewing it. Check it against the source before it changes what you do. Read it on PubMed →