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.
Ai, A. L., Park, C. L., & Huang, B. (2014). Religious coping and well-being in individuals with disabilities. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 37(4), 545–556.
Brunes, A., Heir, T., & Hansen, M. B. (2019). Loneliness among adults with visual impairment: Prevalence, associated factors, and relationship to life satisfaction. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 17(1), 24.
Choi, H. G., Lee, M. J., & Lee, S. M. (2018). Visual impairment and mental health: Depression and suicide. PLOS One, 13(4), e0195452.
Diener, E. (2000). Subjective well-being: The science of happiness and a proposal for a national index. American Psychologist, 55(1), 34–43.
Diener, E., Lucas, R. E., & Oishi, S. (2018). Advances and open questions in the science of subjective well-being. Nature Human Behaviour, 2(4), 253–260.
Golledge, R. G. (2019). Geography and the disabled: A search for a usable environment. Routledge.
Helliwell, J. F., Layard, R., Sachs, J. D., & De Neve, J. E. (2020). World happiness report 2020. Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
Hersh, M. A. (2019). The design and evaluation of assistive technology products and systems. Disability & Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 14(1), 1–15.
Koenig, H. G. (2018). Religion, spirituality, and health: A review and update. Advances in Mind-Body Medicine, 32(3), 34–40.
Molinari, V., Edelstein, B., & Fugate, M. (2015). Quality of life and disability: A review of the literature. Journal of Rehabilitation Psychology, 60(2), 124–132.
Ophthalmology Service & Institute for Public Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia. (2014). National Eye Survey II (NES II): Prevalence of blindness and low vision in Malaysia [Technical report]. National Institute of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia.
Salowi, M. A., Naing, N. N., Mustafa, N., Wan Nawang, W. R., Sharudin, S. N., Ngah, N. F., & Chew, F. L. M. (2024). Prevalence of visual impairment and its causes in adults aged 50 years and older: Estimates from the National Eye Surveys in Malaysia. PLOS ONE, 19(10), e0299768.
Schneider, J., Maier, F., & Frese, M. (2020). Self-efficacy in the visually impaired: An exploration of agency, adaptation, and social integration. Journal of Disability Research, 43(5), 789–805.
Verdugo, M. A.,Schalock, R. L., Keith, K. D., & Stancliffe, R. J. (2012). Quality of life and its measurement: Important principles and guidelines. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 56(1), 61–70.
World Health Organization. (2019). World report on vision. WHO Press.
Bandar, N. F. A., Hassan, Z., Balang, R. V., Muhamad, A. S., Wahat, N. W. A., & Sarkawi, N. N. (2026). Subjective Well-Being Index for Person with Visual Impairment across Five Regions in Malaysia. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 16(1), 1–8.
Copyright: © 2026 The Author(s)
Published by Knowledge Words Publications (www.kwpublications.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode