The Structural Model of Self-acceptance, Thematic Relationships and Hope for Employment through Mediating Sense of Agency and Its Effect on Life Quality of Blind and Low-vision Graduates

Background: The present study aims to use structural model in explaining the effect of unconditional self-acceptance, the quality of thematic relationships, and the hope for employment regarding the life quality of blind and visually impaired students based on the mediating role of the sense of agency. Methods: This study used descriptive research method of correlation type, which was carried out by structural equations. The statistical population for the current study comprised blind and partially sighted individuals between the ages of 12 and 35 who were members of the Blind Association of Khuzestan Province in 2022 and had received a university education ranging from associate to doctoral level. Targeted face sampling was employed, and the research tools utilized included the following questionnaires: the life quality of the blind and visually impaired (2000), unconditional self-acceptance (2001), the quality of subjective relationships (1985), employment hope (2007), and the sense of agency for individuals with visual impairments (2007). The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling (SEM). Results: The mean age and standard deviation of the 233 subjects (132 women and 101 men) in the current research were 27.09 and 5.13, respectively. 183 (78.5%) of the participants were single, and 50 (21.5%) were married. coefficient of determination (R²) for quality of life was equal to 0.58 (P = 0.001, β = 0.358). The sense of agency mediates the effect of quality of the subject relationships regarding life quality of the blind graduates in a negative way, and the effect of hope for employment (β = 0.303, P = 0.001) and unconditional acceptance (β = 0.254, P = 0.001) on their life quality in a positive and meaningful way. Conclusion: The sense of agency mediates the relationship between self-acceptance, subject relationships and hope for employment on the quality of life of blind and visually impaired graduates.