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Myths, stereotypes and self-perception: the impact of albinism on self-esteem

Flinders University, Australia, Carolyn.Palmer{at}flinders.edu.au; pal m0022@fl inders.edu.au

Albinism has the potential to affect young people both emotionally and psychologically. Their condition is unique and is surrounded by myths and stereotypes. The unusual appearance of children with oculocutaneous albinism draws attention to them and their vision impairment can impact on their development of social skills and peer relationships. In addition social attitudes can affect how they perceive themselves and evidence from the research literature suggests that for a child to be socially competent he or she needs to have a positive self-concept and demonstrate socially acceptable behaviours. Self-esteem influences a child's interaction with peers, and this influence can be either positive or negative. Measures of self-esteem allow normative data to be gathered providing another perspective on the development of peer relationships of young people with albinism. This article investigates the self-esteem of a small group of students with albinism. Data were collected using a widely recognized psychological instrument: the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventories (SEI). The findings indicated that the self-esteem of the participants in this study was generally high.

Key Words: albinism • children • self-esteem • vision impairment

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