Self-esteem among People Living with Physical Disability Visting Rehabilitation Centers of Kathmandu, Nepal: An...

Self-esteem is a comprehensive personal evaluation of an individual's worth that involves a person's perception of self, it functions as a defense mechanism that individuals possess to safeguard themselves from psychological harm. This study aims to assess the prevalence of selfesteem and its associated factors among people living with physical disability.

A cross-sectional study was conducted among people living with a physical disability residing inside Kathmandu Valley from August to November 2022 after acquiring ethical approval from institutional review committee of CiST College (Reference number: IRC/161/078/079). A total of 215 samples were taken for the study. A face-to-face interview technique was applied for data collection consisting of the Rosenberg self-esteem scale. Bivariate analysis applying a Chi-square test and multivariable logistic regression was carried out to identify the factors associated with selfesteem at 95% Confidence Interval and 5% level of significance (p-value <0.05).

It was observed that 71 (33.02%) participants had lower levels of self-esteem. Education, family type, the severity of disability, and family affection were the factors associated with self-esteem in bivariate analysis. In multivariable analysis, informal education (aOR: 3.932; 95% Confidence Interval: 1.129-13.696), poor family relationships were (aOR: 2.237; 95% Confidence Interval: 1.029-5.507), perceived severity of disability (aOR: 3.129; 95% 95% Confidence Interval: 1.341-7.300) to be associated with lower self-esteem.

The findings reveal that a significant portion of participants, approximately one-third, experience lower levels of self-esteem. Furthermore, factors such as education, family type, severity of disability, and family affection emerged as significant influencers of self-esteem.