The Quality of Life of Students with Disabilities at Sultan Qaboos University

Abstract

This quantitative study aimed to assess the quality of life (QOL) among students with disabilities at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), Oman. Using the World Health Organization QOL questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF), data were collected from 35 students with physical, hearing, and visual impairments. Results indicated that participants reported a high level of satisfaction in the social relationships (M = 3.90, SD = 0.85) and environment (M = 3.80, SD = 0.72) dimensions, while the physical health dimension showed a moderate level of satisfaction (M = 3.27, SD = 0.48). Psychological health also received a relatively high score (M = 3.73, SD = 0.62). Analysis by gender revealed no statistically significant differences in QOL, whereas significant differences were found based on disability type in the physical (p = 0.001) and psychological (p = 0.026) dimensions, with students with physical disabilities reporting higher scores. The study’s small sample size and convenience sampling method limit the generalizability of findings, suggesting a need for further research with larger, more diverse samples to better understand the QOL of students with disabilities. This research provides valuable insights for SQU and similar institutions to enhance support services for students with disabilities. The results indicated that students with disabilities have a high level of QOL. The results also showed that students with physical disabilities have a higher level of QOL than students with visual and hearing impairments. The study recommended conducting research on students with disabilities in Omani universities and evaluating the quality of services provided to them.