Gender is not related to disability acceptance among individuals with disabilities in Korea: A longitudinal observational study.

Objective: Disability acceptance is an evolving process influenced by personal and contextual predictors, with gender potentially playing a role. This study aimed to examine gender differences in the trajectory of disability acceptance and its predictors among individuals with disabilities in the Republic of Korea (hereafter, Korea).

Methods: We analyzed 4-year longitudinal data (2016-2019) from the Panel Survey of Employment for Persons With Disabilities using multigroup latent growth modeling. The sample consisted of 1,007 men and 1,040 women with disabilities.

Results: The research model of disability acceptance demonstrated a good fit, influenced by personal and contextual factors. No significant gender differences were found in intercepts (F = 0.05, p = .83) and slopes of disability acceptance (F = 0.15, p = .70). Multigroup latent growth modeling results indicated that perceived socioeconomic status, disability-related stress, self-efficacy, self-esteem, and satisfaction with friend relationships significantly predicted disability acceptance over most years, with no gender differences in these predictors.

Conclusions: Gender did not predict longitudinal changes in disability acceptance. However, modifiable factors, such as perceived socioeconomic status, disability-related stress, self-efficacy, self-esteem, and satisfaction with friend relationships, were associated with disability acceptance. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).