predicting self-esteem through self-advocacy and assistive technology use among adults with physical disabilities

This study aims to examine the relationship between self-advocacy skills, assistive technology use, and self-esteem among adults with physical disabilities. a cross-sectional design was employed, with data collected from 244 adults with physical disabilities. participants completed validated self-report measures assessing self-esteem, self-advocacy skills, and assistive technology use. pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to explore the relationships between the variables. a linear regression analysis was conducted to determine the extent to which self-advocacy skills and assistive technology use predict self-esteem. all analyses were performed using spss version 27. the results indicated significant positive correlations between self-esteem and both self-advocacy skills (r = .62, p < .01) and assistive technology use (r = .58, p < .01). self-advocacy skills and assistive technology use were found to be significant predictors of self-esteem, accounting for 49% of the variance (r² = .49, f(2, 241) = 115.63, p < .001). the regression analysis revealed that self-advocacy skills (b = 0.34, β = .42, p < .001) and assistive technology use (b = 0.28, β = .36, p < .001) both positively influence self-esteem. the study concludes that self-advocacy skills and assistive technology use are crucial determinants of self-esteem in adults with physical disabilities. these findings highlight the importance of providing support and training in self-advocacy and access to appropriate assistive technology to enhance psychological well-being and autonomy in this population. future research should explore these relationships longitudinally and across diverse disability groups.