Perceived control, coping and psychological adjustment to visual disability

A group of 35 visually impaired people participated in a cross-sectional, correlational study in order to assess the role of control beliefs on coping, perceived quality of life and psychological adjustment to disability. Participants completed a battery of psychometric tests that were adapted to an oral presentation format in the context of a structured interview. Results suggest that resilient coping, quality of life and psychological adjustment are related to perceived competence, but not to disability severity, the cause of disability (congenital or supervening) or gender. Moreover, increased perceived competence leads to a decrease in anxiety and depression symptoms, a reduction of negative affectivity and greater positive affectivity. The possible applications of these findings in clinical psychology practice aimed at improving psychological adjustment and optimising the process of adaptation to visual impairment are discussed.