title: Depression: a comparison study between blind and sighted adolescents.
abstract: An exploratory study was conducted to identify whether the incidence of depression was greater among blind adolescents than among a sighted comparison group. A convenience sample of 22 adolescents, legally blind since birth, and 29 sighted adolescents participated in the study. The adolescents in both samples were between the ages of 12 and 18. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was used to measure depression. The findings indicated that the incidence of depression among the blind adolescents was significantly higher than the incidence of depression among the sighted adolescents (t = 2.937, df = 50, p < .005). Mean BDI score was 7.103 for the sighted group and 13.652 for the blind group. There were no significant relationships between demographic variables and depression. This study serves as a pilot for more extensive research that can expand the empirical base for understanding depression and its relationship to visual impairment among adolescents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces 88003-8001, USA.
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Koenes
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Karshmer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001766:Blindness / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D019987:Persons with Visual Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*