Self-esteem as mediator and moderator of the relationship between stigma perception and social alienation of Chinese adults with disability

BackgroundSeveral studies show the relationship between self-esteem and stigma perception and also between self-esteem and social alienation, but none sufficiently analyze the relationship between stigma perception and social alienation of people with disability.Objective/hypothesisThe primary aim of this paper is to investigate the mediator and moderator effects of self-esteem on the relationship between stigma perception and social alienation of people with disability.MethodsThe participants were 129 adults with disability (80 males and 49 females) from eight communities in China. Data was collected by using the stigma perception scale, self-esteem scale, social avoidance scale, social anxiety subscale of the self-consciousness scale, and loneliness scale. Each item is rated on a 5-point scale (1 = “strongly disagree” to 5 = “strongly agree”).ResultsStigma perception was positively correlated with social avoidance (p < 0.001), social anxiety (p < 0.001), and loneliness (p < 0.001). Self-esteem was inversely correlated with social avoidance (p < 0.001), social anxiety (p < 0.001), loneliness (p < 0.001), and stigma perception (p < 0.001).ConclusionsSelf-esteem partially mediated the relationship between stigma perception and social avoidance, social anxiety and loneliness. Moreover, self-esteem moderated the relationship between stigma perception and social avoidance, but not on social anxiety and loneliness.