The impact of ableism on the health and well-being of children and youth with disabilities: a systematic review.

Abstract

Discrimination can affect both physical and mental health. Most research focuses on the health impacts of general discrimination or racism, while researchers give less attention to disability-related discrimination (ableism). Children and youth with disabilities are especially vulnerable to ableism. Our review aimed to understand the impact of ableism on the health of children and youth with disabilities. A systematic review was conducted involving eight international databases (Ovid Medline, Healthstar, PsychInfo, CINAHL, JBI EBP Database, Sociological Abstracts, Scopus, Web of Science). Four researchers independently screened 4698 articles for inclusion. The thirty included studies represented 20,495 children and youth with disabilities and parents representing them across 12 countries. The findings show that ableism negatively affects the physical health (i.e., physical injury and pain; worsening disability symptoms), mental health (i.e., overall psychological health; distress and emotional problems; depression; anxiety; suicidality; self-confidence, self-perception, and outlook), and overall quality of life among children and youth with disabilities. Researchers must urgently address how ableism contributes to negative physical and mental health outcomes and poorer quality of life for children and youth with disabilities. Research should continue exploring how ableism, including organizational forms of it, affects the health of youth.