Put Into Practice

1. Religiosity among postsecondary students with disabilities: Effects on disability acceptance and self-esteem Ammon D. McNeff, B.S., Michael P. Brooks, Ph.D., J.D., & Jenny B. Brooks, Ph.D.Brigham Young University, Provo, UT

2. Put Into Practice • How will this affect my practice – how will it be improved. • How do I put this into practice

3. Introduction • Religion and Disability - What have been your experiences? • Research has been conducted regarding the factors that influence postsecondary students with disabilities and their academic and socio-emotional functioning • However, religiosity has not generally been among those factors investigated by researchers despite its importance in determining self-concept (Creedon, 2006; Cotton et al, 2003; Nelson et al, 2010; etc.)

4. Outline of Discussion 1. Prevalence of Religion 2. Effects of Religion 3. Study of religion effects on disability 4. Methods of Study 5. Findings 6. Implications/Implementation 7. Q&A 8. References

5. ACHA-NCHA II The American College Health Association – National College Health Assessment 2009 Felt hopeless – 65% in a span of 2 weeks to 12 months Most religions have guidelines for conduct – which can curb the prevalence of drug use and the spread of STDs

6. National Study • The Higher Education Research Institute found that 83% of students affiliated with some denomination or religion. • The National Longitudinal Survey of Freshmen findings reported that 88% of college freshmen claim to have at least a nominal religious affiliation (Higher Education Research Institute, 2004). • 7.5% have received counseling from Minister/Priest/Rabbi/or Other Clergy (NCHA 2009)

7. Effect of Religion • The effect of religiosity on students’ self esteem and acceptance of their disabilities is important, as: • Religious belief can bolster positive self-cognitions, and • Engender feelings of hopefulness in addressing functional limitations and institutional barriers students with disabilities face Why is this important?

8. Method • Survey subjects included 97 consecutively-presenting students at a large university’s disability service office. • Responses were obtained from a heterogeneous sample of students representing various disability groups, including physical, emotional, and learning disabilities. • All subjects completed three measures: • They first completed an author-generated questionnaire focused on both demographic data and comfort with disclosure of disability. • Demographic variables analyzed included age, gender, race, ethnicity, grade level (freshman, sophomore, etc.), and religious affiliation • 2. Additionally, subjects were asked about their strength of religious affiliation (i.e., on a scale of 1 [affiliated in name only] to 5 [well above- average attendance and adherence to religious teachings]). • Other factors related specifically to disability included: disability category (e.g., physical, emotional, and learning disabilities as well as chronic illness), self-rated impairment levels, and invisible versus visible disability. • Subjects’ comfort level with disclosure of disability to both instructors andclass peers was also assessed. • Subjects also completed two additional measures: • Acceptance of disability was measured by the Acceptance of Disability Scale – Revised (ADS-R; Groomes and Linkowski, 2007), a recent update of the Acceptance of Disability Scale. • This instrument provides an overall acceptance of disability score as well as subscale scores on four acceptance factors. • Self-esteem was measured by the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale: Second Edition (Fitts and Warren, 1996). • This measure provides an overall score for self-esteem as well as scores on a variety of sub-scales (e.g., self-esteem in the work/academic, social, moral, personal realms, etc.).

9. Study • A preliminary analysis of the data shows a strong, positive correlation between strength of religious affiliation and both self-esteem and acceptance of disability. • When subjects were asked what aspect of their lives influenced them most with  “1” being most important, “2” is next important, etc. Religion was rated as the most influential with an average score of 1.66. • When compared to the finding that more highly religious individuals are more accepting of their disability (p. .004), we see an increase in strength of religious affiliation leads to significant increases in self-concept in all self-concept scales measured. 

10. Variables Considered • Invisible disability disclosure comfort • Visible disability disclosure comfort • Level of impairment • Emotional/Learning Disability – told to try harder • Disability Status • ADSR Total (general Aceptance Scale Revised) • All Subsequent ADSR Subfeilds

11. Variables Considered • Self - Critizism • Fake Good • TOTAL (regarding self esteem) • Physical • Morality • Personality • Family Relations • Academics • Identity (integrity scale) • Satisfaction • Behavior

12. Findings • Sought after VS. Serendipitous findings • Our initial intention was to find out if certain variables were effected by religious strength. • We ended up finding that several other variables were correlated

13. Findings • Religious Strength is Negatively Correlated with Subjective Impairment • The more Religious a person self-rated themselves, the less impaired they rated themselves

14. Findings • Religious strength is correlated with Disability Status • Higher in rating is less important with who you are as a person.

15. Findings • Religious Strength is HIGHLY correlated with disability acceptance

16. Findings • Religious Strength is Correlated with the ADSR assessment scale • Correlated well with ALL sub-categories of the scale • Especially the Enlargement scale which measures how ones circumstances expand into other areas of their life.

17. Findings • The Enlargement correlation indicated that people who are more religious have the ability to expand their beliefs into other aspects of their life. • In this case – religious beliefs

18. Findings • There is a strong negative correlation between religious strength and total self-concept self-esteem. • The more Religious a person, the less critical of themselves they appear to be.

19. Findings • The fake good variable is not highly correlated – but correlated nonetheless • Interesting finding – needs more study

20. Findings • Religious Strength is also positively correlated with: • Physical self-esteem • Morality • & Personality

21. Findings • Academics did not appear to be affected nor correlated at all with religious strength. • Very interesting finding to be studied more

22. Statistics

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26. Discussion • The findings presented in this study suggest that university students have overall high levels of acceptance of disability • Indicating that they limit negative comparisons between themselves and their non-disabled peers, focus on values that are not impacted by their disabilities, and realistically appraise their strengths and limits. • While ascribed demographic factors (e.g., age, gender, visibility of disability, etc.) were not correlated to acceptance, certain factors, such as an early history of others’ doubt of one’s disability and lower G.P.A., were correlated with lower acceptance.

27. Discussion • Perhaps the most interesting finding was that those individuals who most strongly felt that their disability was influential in shaping their self-concepts were least accepting of their disabilities. • Additionally, those who believed that their disabilities frequently impaired their ability to meet their goals endorsed the least degree of acceptance. • This suggests possible resentment over having a disability and thus raises concerns regarding appropriate incorporation of disability as an aspect of identity.

28. Discussion • While acceptance and self-concept were found to be highly related constructs as they pertained to the current subject pool, certain aspects of self-concept differed from acceptance. • While acceptance was generally equal between the various disability groups, self-concept differed significantly, with individuals in the Deaf/Hard of Hearing group • Earning higher scores than their non-disabled peers, and • Individuals in the Emotional disability category earning scores almost one standard deviation lower than average. • Such discrepancies are likely due in part to the activism and advocacy seen in the deaf community, while individuals in the Emotional disability group may feel that their disability is a personal shortcoming.

29. Study • Thus, knowledge of students’ religious beliefs and comfort in addressing such beliefs can be beneficial in working with students with disabilities and helping them gain greater acceptance and self-esteem to confront the myriad barriers they face in the postsecondary setting.

30. Varying Religions Concepts of Disability Almost all religions teach that we are to care for those in need (including those who are disabled) and provide help, both financially and physically. Judaism Islam Christianity Hinduism Buddhism Etc...

31. Personal Experience “I was intrigued. I had no idea what Tim did on those Sunday afternoons, but I knew that it filled him with a kind of peace no medication or doctor ever had. After church, he'd come over to our parents' house for family dinners with a sense of calm, his eyes settled, his body slightly less rigid. He even began making a habit, one of his thousands, of giving our mom a quick hug before he'd head home.” - My Turn: Seeing a Smile I Had Not Known Existed - Newsweek MSNBC, 2007 “Tommy” would never gone to college were it not for the support he received from the local institute of religion where he was accepted and received encouragement from peers and instructors. The support of like minded individuals in his corner made it possible for “Tommy” to continue his education after high school.

32. Your Experiences What experiences have you had?

33. Conclusion • To work most effectively with students, accessibility center coordinators need to: • Have an effective understanding of religion and how its effects on self-concepts contribute holistically to students, and • How such self-concept affects beliefs and actions regarding their disability

34. Q&A

35. References Creedon, J. (2003, May). Religiosity and the family environment: An examination of the associations for psychological adjustment in parents and children. Dissertation Abstracts International, 63, Retrieved from PsycINFO database. Nelson, L., Padilla-Walker, L., & Carroll, J. (2010). “I believe it is wrong but I still do it”: A comparison of religious young men who do versus do not use pornography. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 2(3), 136-147. doi:10.1037/a0019127. Reiland, S., & Lauterbach, D. (2008). Effects of trauma and religiosity on self-esteem. Psychological Reports, 102(3), 779-790. doi:10.2466/PR0.102.3.779-790. Cotton, S., Puchalski, C., Sherman, S., Mrus, J., Peterman, A., Feinberg, J., et al. (2006). Spirituality and Religion in Patients with HIV/AIDS. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 21(Suppl 5), S5-S13. doi:10.1111/j.1525-1497.2006.00642.x.

36. References Sherkat, D., & Reed, M. (1992). The effects of religion and social support on self-esteem and depression among the suddenly bereaved. Social Indicators Research, 26(3), 259-275. doi:10.1007/BF00286562. Higher Education Research Institute. 2004. The spiritual life of college students: A national study of college students search for meaning and purpose(Full Report). Los Angeles: Higher Education Research Institute at University of California, Los Angeles. Fitts, W.H., and Warren, W. L. (1996).  The Tennessee Self-Concept Scale: Second Edition (TS-     SC: 2).   Los Angeles, CA: Western Psychological Services. Groomes, D.A.G., & Linkowski, D.C. (2007).  Examining the Structure of the Revised Acceptance of Disability Scale.  Journal of Rehabilitation, 37, 3-9.