VIDBE-Q Volume 66 Issue 4
DeMarquis Hayes,
Texas A&M University - Commerce,
demarquis.hayes@tamuc.edu
Children with visual impairments often have hidden disabilities that are not
so easily seen. Not only must they deal with the physical and practical challenges
associated with their visual impairments, but they also often must contend with the
difficulties associated with increased emotional and/or psychological problems that
arise from their visual impairments. Research frequently suggests that children
with visual impairments have more emotional problems than do their sighted peers
(Brunes et al., 2015; Harris & Lord, 2016). Chief among these are increased levels
of anxiety and depression (Augestad, 2017). Anxiety is the most common
emotional difficulty experienced by both children and adults (Loftin, 2016).
According to the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) 2% - 27%
of school age children have significant difficulties with anxiety. In 2017 the
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) reported that approximately 13.3% or
3.2 million adolescents ages 12 to 17 had a major depressive episode in the past
The Invisible Disability: Mental Health
Concerns in Children with Visual Impairment
