Bullying among people with visual impairment: Prevalence, associated factors and relationship to self-efficacy and life satisfaction

AIM To examine associated factors of bullying and to determine associations between bullying and psychosocial outcomes among individuals with visual impairments(Ⅵ). METHODS We conducted an age-stratified cross-sectional survey of adults with Ⅵ who were recruited from the Norwegian Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted. Data were collected through structural telephone interviews in the period between February and May, 2017. Linear regression models were used to examine factors related to bullying and associations of bullying with self-efficacy and life satisfaction.RESULTS A total of 736 individuals were interviewed. The lifetime and 6-mo prevalence of bullying was 41.7% and8.2%, respectively. The majority of bullied participants reported Ⅵ-specific bullying(65.1%). Victimization of bullying was associated with young age, early onsetage of Ⅵ, and having other impairments. Participants who reported bullying had lower levels of self-efficacy[Adjusted relative risk(ARR): 0.40, 95% confidence interval(CI): 0.19-0.85] and life satisfaction(ARR: 0.68,95%CI: 0.51-0.91).CONCLUSION Bullying is highly prevalent among individuals withⅥ. Our findings suggest that interventions to reduce bullying may be beneficial for improving the well-being and life quality of people with Ⅵ.

Visual impairment and depression: Age-specific prevalence, associations with vision loss, and relation to life satisfaction

BACKGROUND To our knowledge,no study has obtained specific estimates of depression for young and middle-aged adults with visual impairment(VI).As estimates of depression varies across age groups in the general population,it is of interest to examine whether the same applies to adults with low vision or blindness.AIM To estimate depression prevalence and its association with VI-related characteristics and life satisfaction in adults with VI.METHODS A telephone-based cross-sectional survey was conducted between January and May 2017 in an age-stratified sample of adults who were members of the Norwegian Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted.Participants were asked questions about their sociodemographic characteristics,VI characteristics,and life satisfaction.Depression was measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire.The diagnostic scoring algorithm was used to calculate the point prevalence of depression(i.e.,major depression and other depressive disorders)across categories of gender and age(years:18-35,36-50,51-65,≥66).The associations were estimated using regression models.RESULTS Overall,736 adults participated in the study(response rate:61%).The prevalence estimates of depression varied across different age groups,ranging from 11.1%-22.8%in women and 9.4%-16.5%in men,with the highest rates for the two youngest age groups.Results from the multivariable models including sociodemographic and VI-related variables showed that losing vision late in life[Prevalence ratio(PR),1.76,95%CI:1.11,2.79]and having other impairments(PR:1.88,95%CI:1.32,2.67)were associated with higher rates of depression,whereas older age was associated with lower rates(PR:0.83,95%CI:0.74,0.93).Additionally,participants who were depressed had lower life satisfaction than those who were not depressed(adjustedβ:-2.36,95%CI:-2.75,-1.98).CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that depression in adults with VI,and especially among young and middle-aged adults,warrants greater attention by user organisations,clinicians,and healthcare authorities.