Abstract:
Introduction: People with disabilities have experienced a history of negative societal attitudes
and subsequent consequences. Based on Molero et al. (2019), if someone with a disability
perceives that they have been discriminated against and they then internalize the stigma from
those experiences, their self-esteem will likely decrease. This may occur in college students with
disabilities since they face similar challenges as well. Furthermore, there is evidence that social
support and resilience often protect people from the negative effects of adverse experiences.
Objective: The present study sought to test for the indirect relationship between perceived
personal discrimination (predictor variable) and self-esteem (criterion variable) through
internalized stigma (mediator). Additionally, moderated mediation was used to identify whether
levels of social support and resilience would serve as protective factors to moderate the negative
effect on self-esteem. Method: The sample consisted of 542 college students with self-identified
disabilities or impairments from three universities in the United States. They completed a survey
with demographic information, disability-specific questions, and five measures:
Multidimensional Perceived Discrimination Scale, Stigma Scale for Chronic Illness,
MODERATORS OF STIGMA AND SELF-ESTEEM 6
Interpersonal Support Evaluation List, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, and Rosenberg Self-
Esteem Scale. Results: Consistent with Molero et al. (2019), internalized stigma significantly
mediated the relationship between perceived personal discrimination and self-esteem. Further,
partial moderated mediation was found as resilience significantly moderated the mediation
model, but social support did not. Conclusion: This study replicated the findings of Molero et al.
(2019) in a different sample – college students with disabilities – that perceived personal
discrimination and self-esteem were related through internalized stigma. In addition, although
social support may not be sufficient, being more resilient may protect the self-esteem of college
students with disabilities after they experienced discrimination and subsequent internalization of
stigma.
