Strabismus-related prejudice in 5-6-year-old children

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Developmental Psychology
• Social Perception

Background:

• Individuals with strabismus often face negative perceptions regarding appearance, personality, and capability.
• These biases can lead to social alienation and impact psychosocial development, especially in children.
• Exotropia, a type of strabismus, involves outward turning of the eye.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how young children perceive peers with noticeable exotropia.
• To understand early social biases related to visual conditions.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 128 children aged 5-6 years.
• Participants viewed paired images of peers with and without exotropia.
• Children selected images they liked and would share a toy with, using digitally morphed images.

Main Results:

• A significantly higher proportion of children preferred images of peers without exotropia (orthotropia) for liking and sharing.
• Children demonstrated a significant association between liking an image and willingness to share a toy.
• These preferences indicate a negative social bias towards exotropia in young children.

Conclusions:

• Children as young as 5 years old exhibit negative social reactions to noticeable exotropia.
• Findings suggest that children with visible strabismus may experience social alienation from a very young age.
• Early social biases can impact the social integration and well-being of children with strabismus.