Abstract While there is growing interest in the association between disability and diminished life satisfaction, few studies have examined the mechanisms that moderate or mediate this relationship. Informed by the stress process model, this study investigates the moderating and mediating roles of perceived community belonging in the association between different types of disability and life satisfaction. Data were drawn from the 2017–2018 Canadian Community Health Survey, a nationally representative survey conducted by Statistics Canada (N = 95,260). Results from ordinary least squares regression models indicate that individuals with any type of disability, and those with two or more disabilities, are more likely to report lower life satisfaction compared to those without disabilities. Moderation analyses suggest that a sense of community belonging buffers against the adverse associations of vision, mobility, and multiple disabilities with life satisfaction. The Karlson–Holm–Breen mediation analyses further reveal that perceived community belonging partially mediates the association between these disability types and life satisfaction. Social workers and policymakers should prioritize community-based interventions that foster social inclusion, strengthen local support networks, and improve access to community resources for individuals with disabilities. Integrating community belonging initiatives into disability services may offer a holistic approach to enhancing well-being among people with disabilities.
Chai et al. (Sat,) studied this question.