Mental health and academic adjustment among visually impaired and sighted students

Abstract

Mental health and adjustment are crucial determinants of students’ academic success and psychosocial development. Students with visual impairment often encounter additional challenges that may influence their psychological well-being and adaptive functioning. The present article examines mental health and adjustment among visually impaired and sighted students. Another study by Kef (2016) [12] reported that visually impaired students experienced higher levels of stress and lower self-esteem compared to sighted students. A study by Tse et al. (2018) [13] found that visually impaired students faced challenges in adjusting to university life, including difficulties with mobility and social interactions. A study by Khan et al. (2019) [14] reported that visually impaired students in India faced significant barriers in accessing education, including lack of accessible materials and inadequate support services. The paper highlights differences and similarities between the two groups and explores psychosocial factors influencing adjustment. Findings from existing literature suggest that visually impaired students may experience greater emotional and social adjustment difficulties; however, supportive educational environments and effective coping strategies significantly enhance mental health outcomes. This study is to understand the academic adjustment and mental health of 30 visually impaired and 30 sighted students. Mental health inventory by Jagdish and srivastava (1983) [7] and AAI by Gopal et al (2018) [11] are used for data collection. It was hypothesized that visually impaired and sighted students will differ on their academic adjustment, similarly sighted students will show improved mental health. Two separate group design is used with visually impaired and sighted students worked as Independent variable was there two groups and sighted whereas, dependent variable was academic adjustment and mental health. Results are not supporting the hypothesis.