Self-esteem of children and adolescents with physical disabilities: Quantitative evidence from meta-analysis

Previous studies on self-esteem of young people with physical disabilities have yielded discrepant results. There is a need for the succinct synthesis of the studies to understand the relationship between physical disabilities and self-esteem. This study aimed to examine the effects of minor physical disabilities (e.g., clumsiness, developmental coordination disorder) on different domains of self-esteem, and major physical disabilities (e.g, cerebral palsy, spina bifida) on general self-esteem in children and adolescents. A total of 1984 young people from 13 studies were included in meta analyses. The effect of minor physical disabilities on the self-esteem of physical competence was large. Although the effects of minor physical disabilities on the global self worth, physical appearance, and social acceptance were moderate, the effect of major physical disabilities on the general self-esteem of young people was mild. Major physical disabilities do not seem to affect general self-esteem as much as minor physical disabilities do.