Longitudinal analysis of disability acceptance and disability-related stress in people with intellectual and developmental disabilities

Areum Han; Jungjoo Lee; Junhyoung Kim; Heeyong Choi; Hyo-Jin Ju

doi:10.3109/13668250.2025.2458737

Longitudinal analysis of disability acceptance and disability-related stress in people with intellectual and developmental disabilities

J Intellect Dev Disabil. 2025 Apr 25:1-8. doi: 10.3109/13668250.2025.2458737. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Areum Han^{1

2}, Jungjoo Lee³, Junhyoung Kim^{4

5}, Heeyong Choi^{1

2}, Hyo-Jin Ju^{2

6}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biomedical Big Data Convergence, College of Medicine, Catholic Kwandong University, Gangneung, South Korea.
² The Convergence Institute of Healthcare and Medical Science, Catholic Kwandong University International St. Mary's Hospital, Incheon, South Korea.
³ School of Health Professions, College of Nursing and Health Professions, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, USA.
⁴ Department of Health Behavior, School of Public Health, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
⁵ Center for Community Health and Aging, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
⁶ Department of Medical Humanities, College of Medicine, Catholic Kwandong University, Gangneung, South Korea.

PMID: 40277418
DOI: 10.3109/13668250.2025.2458737

Abstract

Background: People with intellectual and developmental disabilities experience daily challenges leading to high stress. Disability acceptance is crucial for improving their quality of life and reducing disability-related stress. We investigated longitudinal relationships between disability acceptance and disability-related stress among Korean adults with intellectual disabilities using data from the Panel Survey of Employment for the Disabled (PSED, 2016-2022).

Method: Data from 3,077 participants who self-reported intellectual disabilities were analysed using generalised estimated equation (GEE) analysis.

Results: Higher disability acceptance significantly predicted reduced disability-related stress levels.

Conclusion: These findings highlight the importance of interventions promoting disability acceptance. Developing evidence-based guidelines and educational programmes focused on acceptance can enhance psychological and emotional wellbeing among people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Keywords: Intellectual and developmental disabilities; disability acceptance; disability-related stress; generalised estimated equation (GEE); longitudinal study.