장애인의 사회활동참여, 차별경험 및 스트레스가 자기효능감에 미치는 영향에 관한 종단연구

Abstract

The self-efficacy of the disabled is under the influence of various psychological and social factors. Discrimination experiences and stress have impacts on self-efficacy. Based on previous studies reporting that discrimination experiences in society and consequent stress would lower the self-efficacy of the disabled, this longitudinal study set out to investigate the effects of social activities participation, discrimination experiences, and stress on the self-efficacy of the disabled over time with a multivariate latent growth model and examine the moderating effects of drinking experiences and the degree of disability between them. The time scope of the study spanned for years of Panel Survey of Employment for the Disabled in the second wave in Year 1(2016)∼Year 4(2019) by the Employment Development Center of Korea Employment Agency for the Disabled. The data was used which derived from 2,807 people with disabilities aged 15∼64 that participated in the survey for the four years in a row. The space scope of the study encompassed 3,442 eups, myeons, and dongs of 71 cities and provinces around the nation with the data of the disabled in these areas used in the study. The content scope of the study included independent variables such as social activities participation, discrimination experiences due to disabilities, and stress due to disabilities and a dependent variable, self-efficacy. In addition, moderating variables of drinking experiences and degree of disability were set for empirical analysis. The objective of the study was to help the disabled increase their self-efficacy by participating in social activities so that they could achieve self-realization and have a sense of achievement. It also aimed to provide basic data for policies to support their participation in social activities according to the prevention of drinking and degree of disability so that they will lead a life without getting discriminations. The findings were as follows: First, the study examined longitudinal changes to the social activities participation, discrimination experiences due to disabilities, stress due to disabilities, and self-efficacy of the disabled and found that they decreased in social activities participation, discrimination experiences due to disabilities, and stress due to disabilities over time and increased in self-efficacy over time. There were huge significant differences among individuals with disabilities in each of the variables. Secondly, the study examined the changing relations of longitudinal mutual growth according to the growth and changes of social activities participation, discrimination experiences due to disabilities, stress due to disabilities, and self-efficacy of the disabled and found that their self-efficacy increased according to their growing participation in social activities at the initial stage and that their active participation in social activities had huge impacts on changes to their self-efficacy over time. The level of self-efficacy made a bigger decrease over time among individuals with disabilities that had fewer discrimination experiences due to their disabilities during early days. As their stress increased due to their disabilities at the early stage, their self-efficacy dropped gradually. Finally, the study tested the moderating effects of drinking experiences and degree of disability on relations among the social activities participation, discrimination experiences due to disabilities, stress due to disabilities, and self-efficacy of the disabled and found that drinking experiences and lower degree of disability had moderating effects on relations among the variables. These findings imply that there should be programs according to the degree of disability to promote the social activities participation of the disabled and lower their negative feelings of discrimination experiences and stress for higher self-efficacy and also preventive education to reduce their drinking. Based on these findings, the study made four policy proposals for the disabled: first, mandatory hours of social activities participation should be added to the activity support service for the disabled; second, a compulsory curriculum should be organized to improve discrimination against the disabled during infancy and early childhood; third, there should be promotional campaigns for the mental health of the disabled and the prevention of their drinking on public channels; and fourth, a national certificate should be established for activity supporters for the disabled. The study has its share of limitations due to the essential limitations of the secondary panel data and the restricted accurate predictive factors of drinking experience measurement. The study also made proposals for follow-up study related to major variables.