Visual impairment and its impact on self-esteem

The aims of the study were to investigate self-esteem levels amongst a sample group of 60 children with Visual Impairment (VI). The group was made up of equal numbers of boys and girls from primary and secondary schools. Each child’s self-esteem was measured using the BG STEEM Questionnaire (Maines and Robinson, 1993). The results showed that overall 70 per cent of the children scored within the ‘normal’ or ‘high’ levels of self-esteem. Overall scores in self-esteem were similar at both primary and secondary level. Girls displayed higher levels of self-esteem than boys at both primary and secondary level, although this difference was more pronounced at secondary level. The results also suggested that the degree of visual impairment may be a factor in determining self-esteem. Primary school children appear much more likely than secondary school children to score positively for locus of control and at secondary level boys are more likely than girls to display an internal locus of control.