@article{article,
  keywords = {People with disabilities, Public stigma, Self-stigma},
  author = {Qin S and Isadore K and Chun J and Chen R( and Mears M},
  title = {Belonging and pride in people with disabilities: An approach to counteract stigma.},
  abstract = {<p>People with disabilities (PWDs) experience public stigma, which can be internalized as self-stigma. While some individuals succumb to this internalization, others exhibit greater resistance. This study seeks to understand the factors contributing to these differing responses. We hypothesized that PWDs may develop a greater sense of belonging to their disability community as a response to facing public stigma, which can lead to feelings of pride in their disability. This pride can mitigate the internalization of public stigma into self-stigma and further alleviate associated negative psychosocial outcomes. We conducted a cross-sectional survey for PWDs (<em>n</em>\&nbsp;= 220), assessing their enacted stigma (i.e., exposure to public stigma), self-stigma, belongingness in the disability community, and disability pride, alongside psychosocial outcomes like self-esteem and depression and anxiety symptoms. Through a series of structural equation modeling analyses, we built increasingly complex models. Model 1 demonstrated that a sense of belonging mediates the relationship between enacted stigma and disability pride. Model 2 introduced a serial mediation, with both belonging and disability pride mediating the link between enacted stigma and self-stigma. Models 3 and 4 further showed that disability pride is linked to increased self-esteem and reduced depression, thus buffering the effects of self-stigma. Our results indicate that cultivating a sense of belonging and disability pride plays a significant role in reducing self-stigma and its adverse effects. These findings also suggest potential strategies for researchers, professionals, and policymakers to support engagement in one{\textquoteright}s community and develop pride as mechanisms to enhance the psychosocial well-being of individuals with disabilities.</p>
},
  year = {2025},
  journal = {Stigma and Health},
  publisher = {American Psychological Association (APA)},
  issn = {2376-6964, 2376-6972},
  doi = {10.1037/sah0000619},
  language = {ENG},
}