Investigating Social Anxiety, Self-Image, and Body Image among Students with Visual Impairment

Background and Without the eyesight, individuals’ perception of the surrounding world is different, and this can lead to emotional and social problems such as social anxiety, low self-concept, and negative body-image. The purpose of this study was to study social anxiety, self-image, and body image in students with and without visual impairment.
The present study was a causal-comparative study. The statistical population included all male students in Tehran who were studying in the academic year of 2016-2017. The sample included 70 blind students aged 14-18 years old who were selected by convenience sampling method from Shahid Mohebbi Blind center. Also, a group of 70 normal students were selected by random cluster sampling from schools in Tehran. Social anxiety inventory (Conner, 2000), body image test (Fisher, 1970) and children’s self-concept scale (Piers, 1969) were used to collect data. Multivariate analysis of variance was used to analyze the data.
The results of this study showed that there is a significant difference in the social anxiety, self-concept, and body image between students with and without visual impairment (P 0.05).
The results of this study showed that people with visual impairment are more exposed to higher social anxiety, lower self-concept and more negative body image than those without visual impairment. Therefore, by designing appropriate educational programs for parents and teachers, it should help to develop a sense of being positive, assertiveness and intimate in children with visual impairment.