Coping with stigmatization and discrimination related to blindness and low vision.

Purpose/Objective: Research suggests that effective coping with stress related to stigmatization and discrimination might protect the stigmatized persons against poor mental health outcomes associated with experiencing stress. Despite this, research specifically on coping with social stigma among people who are blind or have low vision has received less attention. We addressed this gap in the literature, by exploring the lived experiences of people who are blind or have low vision with regard to their perceptions of stigma and their coping responses. Research Method/Design: We employed a qualitative research method using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Participants were 11 Australians who were blind or had low vision, aged between 18 to 65 years, and were recruited via advertisement. Data was collected using in-depth interviews and was subjected to data analysis using IPA. Results: Two sets of themes emerged from the data analysis which we classified under 2 superordinate themes labeled as Ways of Coping and Coping Skills and Resources. Conclusions/Implications: This study highlights the significance of personal and contextual aspects of coping with stigma and discrimination by demonstrating the complex nature of how people who are blind or have low vision cope with stigma. Coping efforts might be tenuous and require cognitive and/or behavioral skills and psychological resources and as such, individuals experiencing stigma might benefit from interventions aimed at improving coping skills and resources, such as self-advocacy, assertion, or positive reinterpretation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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