Primary and secondary disability appraisal – Predictive role of sociodemographic and disability-related variables

Disability appraisal is a cognitive category examined mainly in the context of adjustment to living with disability. Its significance is usually determined as part of stress and coping theory applied in disability studies. The article presents the findings of a study on primary and secondary disability appraisal expressed by people with acquired motor impairments. Participants were people with spinal cord injuries and with lower limb amputation. Primary and secondary disability appraisal was analyzed with consideration of sociodemographic and disability-related variables. The findings suggest that these categories of variables make it possible to explain primary disability appraisal better than secondary disability appraisal. Also, it was found that disability-related variables had greater predictive significance than sociodemographic variables in explaining the intensity of both primary and secondary appraisal. The type of disability, its duration, and a sense of control over the consequences of one's motor impairment play a significant role in determining the intensity of both forms of disability appraisal.