The knowledge and attitudes of Grade R school teachers regarding the psychosocial impact of strabismus amongst school children

BACKGROUND: Negative social bias due to strabismus affects the self-esteem and learning process of a child. Social and educational milestones are already prioritised as early at a pre-primary school level. A Grade R teacher’s interaction with a child with strabismus can steer their functional development and influence their future quality of life. A lack of knowledge and an erroneous attitude ultimately contributes to the negative social stigma about strabismus. PURPOSE: The study aimed to determine the knowledge and attitudes of Grade R school teachers regarding the psychosocial impact of strabismus among school children. METHODS: A descriptive study was carried out from March to June 2018, through a structured questionnaire. RESULTS: Thirty-one female Grade R teachers, ages ranging between 24 and 62 years participated in the research study. The majority of the teachers (87.10%) were able to correctly identify a child with strabismus and refer them to treatment. Children with strabismus were thought of being at risk of struggling with areas of mathematics, language and life skills (64.52%). Nevertheless, the teachers had an overall positive attitude towards a photograph of a child with strabismus depicted in the questionnaire. The teachers described the strabismic child as happy, cute, healthy and intelligent. The teachers also suggested that a child with strabismus will be able to be a class representative (83.87%). The teachers were also aware that a child with strabismus may be at risk for developing a low self-esteem (identified by 83.87%) and to experience social anxiety (identified by 45.16%). CONCLUSION: The negative social biases towards strabismus are clearly defined in previous research. This study, however, contradicts previous findings. Not only did the Grade R teachers demonstrate a good understanding of the clinical aspects related to strabismus, but they also had an overall positive attitude towards strabismus in general.