Identification and Analysis of the Consequences of Disability in the Lives of Persons with Disabilities: A Study in Golestan Province
Keywords:
Outcome, disability, disabled people, Golestan provinceAbstract
Objective: This study aimed to identify and analyze the consequences of disability in the lives of people with physical-motor disabilities in Golestan Province. This applied study was conducted using a descriptive exploratory mixed-methods design. In the qualitative phase, 18 knowledgeable individuals with disabilities were selected through snowball sampling, and data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analyzed through thematic analysis. In the quantitative phase, the statistical population consisted of 61,962 people with physical-motor disabilities in Golestan Province. Based on the Krejcie and Morgan table, 382 participants were selected through cluster random sampling. Data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire developed from the qualitative findings. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics, reliability and validity tests, and structural equation modeling through SPSS version 22 and SmartPLS 3. The structural equation modeling results indicated that all identified consequences had positive and significant effects on the lives of persons with disabilities. The strongest effect was related to physical consequences (β=0.803, t=28.271), followed by socio-cultural consequences (β=0.769, t=23.054), psychological consequences (β=0.726, t=26.829), familial consequences (β=0.649, t=16.778), and economic consequences (β=0.571, t=13.059). Since all t-values exceeded 1.96, all paths were statistically significant at the 95% confidence level. The findings indicate that disability is a multidimensional phenomenon whose consequences extend beyond physical limitations and affect psychological, familial, socio-cultural, and economic aspects of life. Therefore, supportive policymaking, environmental accessibility, reduction of stereotypical attitudes, and expansion of rehabilitation and social services are essential for improving the quality of life of persons with disabilities.
Downloads
References
Afrasiyabi, H., & Karimi Manjermouei, Y. (2022). Lived Experience of People with Acquired Disabilities: A Phenomenological Study. Social Work Quarterly, 11(1), 18-28.
Barnes, C. (2019). Understanding the Social Model of Disability: Past, Present and Future. In Routledge Handbook of Disability Studies (pp. 14-31). https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429430817-2
Bonnell, K. M. E., Koch, J., Page, T. E. S. V., Ramsay, J., & Ramsay, H. (2021). Physical Activity for Individuals Living with a Physical Disability in Quebec: Issues and Opportunities of Access. Disability and Health Journal, 14(3), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dhjo.2021.101089
Bunbury, S. (2019). Unconscious Bias and the Medical Model: How the Social Model May Hold the Key to Transformative Thinking about Disability Discrimination. International Journal of Discrimination and the Law, 19(1), 26-47. https://doi.org/10.1177/1358229118820742
Daley, A., Phipps, S., & Branscombe, N. R. (2018). The Social Complexities of Disability: Discrimination, Belonging and Life Satisfaction among Canadian Youth. SSM - Population Health, 5(24), 55-63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2018.05.003
Dastyar, V., & Mohammadi, A. (2018). Measuring Empowerment of People with Physical Disabilities in 2015 and Its Related Factors: A Cross-Sectional Analytical Study in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province. Rehabilitation Quarterly, 19(4), 354-369.
Davari, A., & Rezazadeh, A. (2018). Structural Equation Modeling with PLS Software. Jahad Daneshgahi Press.
Grech, S. (2015). Disability and Poverty in the Global South: Renegotiating Development in Guatemala. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137307989
Güldağ, Ö., Turan, F., & Akemoğlu, Y. (2026). A systematic review of intervention studies to support social emotional skills of children with intellectual disabilities in early childhood. Early Childhood Education Journal, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-026-02124-9
Hastbacka, E., Nygard, M., & Nyqvist, F. (2016). Barriers and Facilitators to Societal Participation of People with Disabilities: A Scoping Review of Studies Concerning European Countries. Alter, 10(3), 201-220. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.alter.2016.02.002
Jespersen, L. N., Michelsen, S. I., Tjornhoj-Thomsen, T., Kofod Svensson, M., Evald Holstein, B., & Due, P. (2019). Living with a Disability: A Qualitative Study of Associations between Social Relations, Social Participation and Quality of Life. Disability and Rehabilitation, 41(11), 1275-1286. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2018.1424949
Kalargyrou, V., Pettinico, W., & Chen, P. J. (2021). Attitudes toward People with Physical Disabilities: An Examination of Social Context, Discipline, Disability Type, and Demographics. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 54(2). https://doi.org/10.3233/JVR-201124
Latifian, M., Bani Asad, A., & Kamali, M. (2020). Examining the Social Dimensions of Disability: A Systematic Review. Social Work Research Journal, 7(26), 53-101.
Liu, S., Xie, W., Han, S., Mou, Z., Zhang, X., & Zhang, L. (2018). Social Interaction Patterns of the Disabled People in Asymmetric Social Dilemmas. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 1683. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01683
Mauksch, S., & Dey, P. (2024). Treating Disability as an Asset (Not a Limitation): A Critical Examination of Disability Inclusion through Social Entrepreneurship. 31(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/13505084221150586
Modabberizadeh, P., Dankoub, F., & Beheshtinejad, M. (2023). Factors Affecting the Social Competence of Students with Physical-Motor Disabilities in Yasouj. Psychology and Educational Sciences in the Third Millennium, 1(28), 72-82.
Mohammadi, A., Ostad Hashemi, L., Sabzi Khoshnami, M., & Ahmadi, S. (2024). Social Factors Affecting the Sense of Citizenship among People with Physical-Motor Disabilities at Rofeideh Rehabilitation Hospital. Journal of Research and Studies in Islamic Sciences, 6(57), 103-116.
Mohseni Tabrizi, A., & Zarinkafshian, G. (2015). Examining Factors Affecting the Social Exclusion of Persons with Disabilities: A Case Study of People with Physical and Motor Disabilities Covered by the Welfare Organization of Rey County. Journal of Social Problems of Iran, 6(2), 327-352.
Monazemi Tabar, J. (2020). Study of Individual and Social Factors Affecting Disability in Iranian Society. Iranian Health Insurance Quarterly, 3(4), 264-275.
Musso, M. (2021). How the Letter Board Changed My Life. https://the-art-of-autism.com/how-the-letterboard-changed-my-life
Pourziaei, K., & Ghaffari Nik, T. (2020). Legal and Social Effects of Iran's Accession to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities from the Perspective of Domestic Law. Legal Civilization, 3(6), 119-149.
Prest, K. (2026). Feasibility of an Adapted Participatory Group Programme for Caregivers of Children With Complex Neurodisability in the United Kingdom: Results From the Encompass-2 Study. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.02.11.26346106
Sadeghi Fasaei, S., & Fatemi Nia, M. A. (2015). Disability: The Hidden Half of Society; A Social Approach to the Status of Persons with Disabilities in the World and Iran. Social Welfare (Welfare and Disability), 15(58), 157-192.
Saeidi, N., & Rahimi, M. (2024). Examining the Position of Persons with Disabilities in the Supportive Policies Section of the Seventh Development Plan. Proceedings of the 3rd International Congress on Management, Economics, Humanities and Business Development,
Sharifi-Tochaei, S. S., Ghorbani-Joorshari, S., & Sadrjafroodi, A. (2024). The Effect of Exercise on the Functioning of People with Physical-Motor Disabilities. Mojak Publishing.
Tarasoff, L. A., Lunsky, Y., Welsh, K., Proulx, L., Evans, M., Havercamp, S. M., & Brown, H. K. (2026). Challenges, benefits, and strategies for delivering pregnancy care to people with disabilities: A qualitative study of service providers and decision-makers in Ontario, Canada. Journal of health services research & policy, 31(1), 14-24. https://doi.org/10.1177/13558196251376146
Yousif, N. B. A., Yousef, E. M., & Abdelrahman, R. M. (2021). The Social and Psychological Effects of Inclusive Education of Persons with Hearing Disability in Society: A Field Study at the Disability Resource Centre (Sharjah University). Sustainability, 13, 12823. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132212823
Zahirian Moghadam, M., & Zarinkafshian, G. (2022). Examining the Status of Society's Attitudes toward Persons with Disabilities from the Perspective of Persons with Disabilities: A Study of 15-64-Year-Old People with Physical and Motor Disabilities in Rey County. New Research in Psychology, 3(2), 104-117.
Downloads
Published
Submitted
Revised
Accepted
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Atiyeh Ghasemi (Author); Marjan Nouri; Mohammad Mehdi Naderi, Rahmatullah Amirahmadi (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.