Psychosocial Resilience among Students with Disabilities in Higher Education: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Students with disabilities (SWDs) in higher education face psychological, social, academic, and institutional demands that may affect wellbeing and persistence. This systematic review synthesised evidence on psychosocial resilience and its implications for Malaysian higher education and scale development. Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, and supplementary sources were searched following PRISMA 2020. Of 247 records, 19 duplicates were removed, 228 were screened, and 60 studies were included in narrative synthesis. Nine domains emerged: psychological distress; social support and belonging; coping and self-management; self-efficacy and agency; stigma and identity; institutional access; academic adjustment; measurement; and Malaysian and disability-specific evidence. Resilience reflected interactions among personal, interpersonal, and institutional resources, while disability-specific, culturally validated measures remained scarce. Findings support the development of a psychosocial resilience measure for SWDs in Malaysian HEIs.