Social Support and Self-Esteem as Predictors of Psychological Distress among Students with Learning Disabilities in Accra, Ghana
Using a survey research design, this study examined the extent to which social support and selfesteem predict psychological distress among students with learning disabilities at Multi Kids Inclusive Academy in Accra, Ghana. The Simple Random Sampling technique was used to select 94 students. Survey questionnaires containing the Child and Adolescent Social Support Scale (Malecki & Demaray, 2002), Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995), and Adapted Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale (Dagnan & Sandhu, 1999) were used to collected data. Descriptive statistics, Reliability and Normality tests, Simple Linear Regression Analysis, and the Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient test within the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23 application software were used to analyze data. Results indicated that Social Support from Teachers (β = .202, p = .033) and Social Support from Classmates (β = .548, p = .000) predicts psychological distress. Social Support from Parents Dimension subscale (β = -.024, p = .810), did not predict psychological distress. In addition, a significant negative relationship was found between self- concept and psychological distress. Also, differences in gender (β = -.238, p = .033) and age (β = .266, p = .017) predicts psychological distress.
