THE CHANGING FACE OF ADJUSTMENT TO SIGHT LOSS - A LONGITUDINAL EVALUATION OF REHABILITATION

Results of a longitudinal analysis of the effectiveness of rehabilitat ion training on those disabled by recent sight loss are presented. Sev en dimensions of adjustment (anxiety/depression, self-esteem, self-eff icacy, locus of control, attitudes to blindness, acceptance of sight l oss and attributional style) were assessed in relation to the effectiv eness of a nine-week rehabilitation programme. Four hundred sixty-nine clients were screened on entering the programme and 126 were followed up on leaving the programme. As well as examining absolute changes in scores on the seven dimensions, a series of theoretical LISREL models were computed before and after rehabilitation. The hypothesis that co gnitive restructuring was responsible for observed reductions in anxie ty and depression and increases in self-esteem was supported by the an alysis. Pre- and post-rehabilitation comparisons further indicated tha t, with the exception of attributional style, there were significant p ositive improvements on each of the dimensions.