Disability Acceptance as a Mediator Between Social Network Size and Disaster Response Capacity in Adults With Physical Disabilities in South Korea: Findings From the National Survey

ABSTRACT Disasters frequently exacerbate existing inequalities, particularly affecting adults with physical disabilities who have mobility limitations, thereby heightening their susceptibility to disaster‐related disparities. The disaster response capacity of this population may be influenced by psychosocial factors, including social networks and disability acceptance. This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of disability acceptance in the relationship between social network size and disaster response capacity among adults with physical disabilities. This study analyzed secondary data from 1,300 adults with physical disabilities from the 5th Disability and Lifestyle Epidemiology Panel conducted in South Korea. Social network size positively influenced both disability acceptance and disaster response capacity. Furthermore, disability acceptance acted as a mediator in the relationship between social network size and disaster response capacity. These findings indicate that strategies to improve the disaster response capacity of adults with physical disabilities should take their social network size into account while also promoting disability acceptance.