According to the literature, people with physical disabilities seem more likely to be excluded and isolated. Multiple causes may explain this feeling of loneliness among people with disabilities. External causes such as climatic conditions can explain this but also more complex mechanisms as stigmatization. The stigma of disability sometimes leads to stigma and self-stigma, which are real threats to well-being with a tendency to self-exclusion, withdrawal, depreciation, decline in self-esteem and self-efficacy. In addition, loneliness is also related to various psychological dimensions such as: fear of negative judgment of others, negative affectivity, body satisfaction and overall perception of oneself. The present study aims to investigate links between these psychological factors. Its main purpose is to reveal the psychological factors that can explain the feeling of loneliness in people with physical disabilities. All participants were contacted by associations related to physical handicap. The sample includes 57 participants with visible physical disabilities. There are 24 different types of handicap. The population is aged from 18 to 83 years old. Each psychological factor is measured by a scale statistically confirmed. A correlation matrix investigate the links between the different psychological dimension. We find that all variables are significantly correlated with loneliness. The stronger the feeling of loneliness is, stronger the fear of others’ negative judgment, negative affectivity, body dissatisfaction and self-depreciation will be strong. Other correlations show that certain factors are correlated with each other (example: fear of others’ negative judgment and negative affectivity, negative affectivity and self-perception, body satisfaction and self-perception…). Furthermore, a multiple regression analysis allow us to conclude that our four predictor variables account for 49% of the solitude variance for this sample. Only body satisfaction and overall self-perception explain a significant part of the variance of loneliness. For example, correlations can make us assume that disabled people could adopt avoidance strategies to flee from judgment of others and generate loneliness. Correlations between loneliness and affectivity (positive and negative) suggest that feeling alone does not preserve from negative feelings that could be generated by social stigmatization. The correlation between loneliness and body satisfaction hint that the negative perception of their body can lead to social isolation. It may be easier to bond and maintain social ties when you have a good body image and self-perception (according to the last correlation). The regression highlights the importance of narcissistic dimension in loneliness feeling. This result argue that it is the opinion that people have of themselves and their appearance that would lead people in our sample to feel alone. The trauma of disability disrupts the narcissistic equilibrium. That is why some authors will speak of “profound narcissistic attack”. There are two points of focus: the body and the social. The narcissism worn on the body / self (or on the social) then becomes the object of all attention. The feeling of loneliness felt here, would depend in greater part on the way in which the individual evaluates himself personally and the way in which he considers himself. In view of these results, we can propose to people with this kind of profiles, a therapy focus on the awareness of the body, a rediscovery of the body on more positive aspects and thus, working to a better self-image and self-esteem.

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