Subjective Well-Being Index for Person with Visual Impairment across Five Regions in Malaysia

Abstract

This study creates a Subjective Well-Being (SWB) Index specifically for person with visual impairments (PVI) in Malaysia, a group that has not been studied much in terms of well-being. While SWB encompasses life satisfaction, emotional responses, and psychological well-being, existing research has primarily focused on the general population, with limited measures specifically for PVI. This study fills that gap by evaluating SWB across eight key domains (independence, social relationships, psychological health, physical health, environment, religiosity, self-belief, and culture) based on survey data from 145 visually impaired individuals across five Malaysian regions (Northern, Southern, Eastern, Central, and Borneo). The results show that religiosity (M = 9.27, SD= 1.12) and self-belief (M = 7.83, SD=1.47) are the most highly rated areas, while culture (M = 6.04, SD=1.98) and environment (M = 6.32, SD=1.87) are the least highly rated. The Southern region had the highest overall SWB, which could mean that local policies or community support systems are helping people feel better. The findings emphasise the need for targeted interventions to improve cultural inclusion and environmental accessibility for PVI in Malaysia.