Faculty Articles
Psychological Adjustment of Visually Handicapped Children and Youth
Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Clinical Psychology Review
ISSN
0272-7358
Publication Date
1986
Abstract
Recent evidence has suggested that visually handicapped children and adolescents experience difficulties in psychological functioning. This review examines the psychological, psychiatric, and vision literatures in four areas of adjustment in this population: intellectual functioning, personality characteristics, social development, and psychopathology. Although prevalence of maladjustment has been documented, a number of mediating variables appear to influence development in the visually impaired, including etiology of vision loss, extent of impairment, and residential setting. The paucity of controlled research makes it difficult to draw firm conclusions from the data at this time. However, preliminary formulations suggest that although visual impairment places children and adolescents at high risk of psychological dysfunction, it does not, by itself necessarily cause maladjustment. It is suggested that future research emphasize (a) increased use of more precise diagnostic assessment tools, (b) further delineation of subject characteristics, and (c) a multidisciplinary approach to psychological adjustment in this population.
- *This work was supported by grant No. G008300135 from the National Institute of Handicapped Research, U.S. Department of Education.
DOI
10.1016/0272-7358(86)90019-X
Volume
6
Issue
1
First Page
67
Last Page
85
NSUWorks Citation
Ammerman, R. T.,
Van Hasselt, V. B.,
Hersen, M.
(1986). Psychological Adjustment of Visually Handicapped Children and Youth. Clinical Psychology Review, 6(1), 67-85.
Available at: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/cps_facarticles/271
