The role of shame in the development and maintenance of psychological distress in adults with intellectual disabilities: A narrative review and synthesis

Abstract

Shame may be a contributory factor in the development and maintenance of psychological distress and subsequent mental health issues in some adults with mild-to-moderate intellectual disabilities.

External shame, loneliness, psychological distress, and well-being: insights from the Turkish adaptation of the Other as Shamer Scale-2

“…In addition, psychological distress being instrumental between shame and well-being may be explained by the fact that shamed individuals are passive against distress. In addition, it can be deduced that shame for mediation may make individuals vulnerable to psychological distresses, such as depression, anxiety, etc., and, hence, their well-being can be adversely affected (Clapton et al, 2018).…”

“…Prior studies indicated that external shame may increase psychological distress (e.g., Castilho et al, 2017;Kim et al, 2011), and also may reduce well-being (Cibich et al, 2016;Varghese, 2015). Moreover, relevant literature showed that shame may reduce wellbeing via psychological distress (e.g., Clapton et al, 2018). Therefore, we tested the meditational model with external shame as an independent variable, depression, anxiety, and stress as mediator variables and subjective well-being as a dependent variable.…”

“…In fact, shame can negatively affect the well-being of individuals by leaving them unprotected against forms of psychological distress such as depression, anxiety, etc. (Clapton, Williams, & Jones, 2018). Other researchers have also revealed that shame has a negative relationship with life satisfaction and happiness (e.g., Bugay & Demir, 2011;Sousa et al, 2019).…”

“…Because external shame may lead to disengagement and self-effacement, it can cause individuals to feel lonely and isolated (Thoresen et al, 2018). In addition, because shamed individuals can be anxious about social assessment, potential rejections or regressions, they can withdraw from social interactions because of confidence issues (Breggin, 2015;Clapton et al, 2018;Kaufman, 2004). Furthermore, due to shame's potential for preventing the establishment of close relationships, individuals can have higher levels of loneliness (Teroni & Deonna, 2008).…”

Making Connections and Building Confidence: A Study of Specialist Dating Agencies for People with Intellectual Disabilities

“…In relation to women in particular, Araújo, Meira and Almeida [28, p. 419] conclude from their research across many countries that "Some appearance stereotypes… in the physical world follow [women] in the online world". Negative experiences, such as continually being passed over in favour of others, is known to be damaging to a person's sexual self-esteem, especially if they are already vulnerable [29] and can cause people to experience shame [30].…”