Initial factor exploration of disability identity.
Anjali J Forber-Pratt, Gabriel J Merrin, Carlyn O Mueller and 2 others
PMID 31944783WHAT IT FOUND
Adults with disabilities described disability identity in four themes: internal beliefs about disability, anger and frustration, adopting disability community values, and contributing to that community.
The pilot measure has not yet been tested with a separate sample.
Key findings
01The final pilot measure retained 37 items across four themes: internal beliefs about own disability and the disability community, anger and frustration with disability experiences, adoption of disability community values, and contribution to the disability community.
02Anger and frustration were kept as a separate theme because the authors said not everyone with a disability experiences positive acceptance all the time.
03The authors could not validate the structure with a separate confirmatory analysis, so it is a first step rather than a tested clinical measure.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The sample was recruited through disability organizations and listservs, so participants may already have stronger ties to disability communities and more developed disability identity than people without those connections. The authors did not test the structure with a separate confirmatory sample, so the result is an initial scale-building step. The study included adults only, so it does not tell therapists how disability identity appears in children, adolescents, or newly disabled adults. Most participants were White, 70.8%, so the findings may not apply equally across racial and ethnic groups. Missing item responses ranged from 4% to 10%, though patterns did not differ by demographics. The online system initially had screenreader accessibility problems, and participants with vision-related disabilities may have been affected.
Declared interests
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The easy way to misread this
Do not treat the themes as a tested clinical assessment or as proof that focusing on disability identity improves rehabilitation outcomes. The study only explored how survey items grouped in a sample of adults with disabilities.