Study: Disability and well-being

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Canadians born with a disability are likely to be happier than individuals who experienced a disability later in life, according to a new study that explores the determinants of subjective well-being among people with disabilities.

The study found that well-being, measured as self-reported levels of happiness, is independent of the type of physical disability. However, people with mental disabilities have lower levels of well-being than those with physical disabilities. Also, people with more severe disabilities are less happy than those with less severe disabilities.

Overall, about 21% of people with disabilities reported being "very happy", 65% "pretty happy", and the remaining 14% "not too happy".

This study, published recently in the journal Social Science & Medicine, was based on data from the 1991 Health and Activity Limitation Survey. It focused on individuals with disabilities who were not living in an institution.

The sample consisted of individuals whose everyday activities were limited because of a physical or mental condition. These conditions included mobility, seeing, hearing, speaking, agility and mental disabilities.

This study was unique in that it used national data, considered various types of disabilities, and controlled for a broad range of socio-demographic factors related to happiness. Psychologists, sociologists and, more recently, economists, have studied subjective well-being in detail.

However, almost all the studies focused on the general population. A handful of studies focused on individuals with disabilities, but they were limited in that they were not population-based, and their focus was people with specific types of disabilities.

Approximately one-sixth of the Canadian population reported some type of disability in 1991. This proportion will rise in the future because the number of seniors is increasing sharply, and aging is associated with higher rates of disability.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 3251.

The study "Impact of the timing, type and severity of disability on the subjective well-being of individuals with disabilities," was published in Social Science & Medicine, Vol. 63(2). An abstract is available, in English only, online (www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/02779536).

For more information about the concepts, methods or data, or to obtain a copy, contact Sharanjit Uppal (613-951-3887; sharanjit.uppal@statcan.gc.ca), or Russell Wilkins (613-951-5305; russell.wilkins@statcan.gc.ca), Health Analysis and Measurement Group.