@article{101960,
  keywords = {People with disabilities, Public stigma, Self-stigma},
  author = {Qin S and Isadore K and Chun J and Chen R( and Mears M},
  title = {Belonging and pride in people with disabilities: An approach to counteract stigma.},
  abstract = {<p>People with disabilities (PWDs) experience public stigma, which can be internalized as self-stigma. While some individuals succumb to this internalization, others exhibit greater resistance. This study seeks to understand the factors contributing to these differing responses. We hypothesized that PWDs may develop a greater sense of belonging to their disability community as a response to facing public stigma, which can lead to feelings of pride in their disability. This pride can mitigate the internalization of public stigma into self-stigma and further alleviate associated negative psychosocial outcomes. We conducted a cross-sectional survey for PWDs (<em>n</em>&nbsp;= 220), assessing their enacted stigma (i.e., exposure to public stigma), self-stigma, belongingness in the disability community, and disability pride, alongside psychosocial outcomes like self-esteem and depression and anxiety symptoms. Through a series of structural equation modeling analyses, we built increasingly complex models. Model 1 demonstrated that a sense of belonging mediates the relationship between enacted stigma and disability pride. Model 2 introduced a serial mediation, with both belonging and disability pride mediating the link between enacted stigma and self-stigma. Models 3 and 4 further showed that disability pride is linked to increased self-esteem and reduced depression, thus buffering the effects of self-stigma. Our results indicate that cultivating a sense of belonging and disability pride plays a significant role in reducing self-stigma and its adverse effects. These findings also suggest potential strategies for researchers, professionals, and policymakers to support engagement in one’s community and develop pride as mechanisms to enhance the psychosocial well-being of individuals with disabilities.</p>
},
  year = {2025},
  journal = {Stigma and Health},
  publisher = {American Psychological Association (APA)},
  issn = {2376-6964, 2376-6972},
  doi = {10.1037/sah0000619},
  language = {ENG},
}