Disability Acceptance as a Key Protective Factor Against Depression: Evidence from Korea's National PSED (Wave 2)

Background and Objectives: Depression is a significant concern in Korea, where people with disabilities show a 3.7 times higher prevalence than the non-disabled. While disability acceptance is linked to positive outcomes like self-esteem, its direct association with depression is underexplored. This study examined the relationship between disability acceptance and depressive symptoms in this population. Materials and Methods: This study used data from the second wave of Korea's Panel Survey of Employment for the Disabled (PSED). The analysis included 4030 registered individuals with disabilities. Logistic regression was used to estimate the association between disability acceptance and depressive symptoms, adjusting for sociodemographic and health-related factors. Results: The overall prevalence of depressive symptoms was 18%. A strong dose-response relationship was observed: depression rates were 59.7% in the lowest disability acceptance group versus 5.1% in the highest. After adjustments, the lowest acceptance group was over 11 times more likely to experience depression than the highest group (OR = 11.35, 95% CI = 5.86-22.00, p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Lower disability acceptance was significantly associated with a higher risk of depression, indicating it is a key protective factor for mental health. Interventions should therefore focus on enhancing disability acceptance through counseling, social support, stigma reduction, and policies promoting social integration.