Attitudes towards people with physical or intellectual disabilities among nursing, social work and medical students (2017)

Aims and objectives

To examine and compare undergraduate healthcare students’ attitudes toward people with physical or intellectual disabilities in Greece.

Background

The experience that people with disabilities have with health care is a complex interaction between their medical condition and the social and physical environment. Attitudes of the nursing and healthcare staff affect the quality of care and people’s adaptation to their disability, self-image and rehabilitation outcomes.

Design

Descriptive cross-sectional survey.

Methods

Nursing, Social Work, and Medicine students (N=1007, 79.4% female) attending three Universities (Athens, Crete) completed during 2014-2016 two standardized scales regarding physical (ATDP – B) and intellectual disability (CLAS – ID). Descriptive and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed.

Results

Attitudes toward physically disabled people in Greece (ATDP – B scores) were poor with scores just above the mid-point. Medical studies and higher knowledge and contact with individuals with physical disabilities signified marginally more positive attitudes. Gender and age displayed no associations with attitudes. Regarding intellectual disability (CLAS–ID scores), nursing students had slightly less positive attitudes in ‘Similarity’ but more positive attitudes in ‘Sheltering’ subscales. Previous work and contact was related to more favourable and higher age to less favourable ‘Similarity’ and ‘Sheltering’ attitudes. Males had higher ‘Exclusion’ scores. Those who knew people with intellectual disabilities had less favorable ‘Empowerment’ attitudes. Knowledge was related to more positive attitudes in all four CLAS – ID subscales.

Conclusions

Greek health and social care students showed poor attitudes towards people with physical and intellectual disability.

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