Same- and cross-gender attitudes toward persons with physical disabilities.

Used the Disability Factor Scale-General (DFS-G) of J. Siller et al (1967) to measure 147 male and 139 female 11th-graders' attitudes toward persons with physical disabilities. A subgroup of Ss responded to a specially prepared version of the DFS-G that referred to males with disabilities, while a 2nd subgroup responded to a 2nd version of the questionnaire that referred to females with disabilities. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was performed, with scores on the 6 attitude scales of the DFS-G as the dependent variables. The 2 independent variables were Ss' gender and the sex of the person with the disability. Attitudes toward females with disabilities were less positive than attitudes toward males with disabilities. These less positive attitudes were expressed more by boys than by girls. Findings support the theoretical assumption that being disabled and female represents a double minority status. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Contact with and attitudes toward persons with disabilities: The measurement of intergroup contact.

Introduces a contact with disabled persons (CDP) scale that uses 20 items and 5 response categories to measure contact. Reliability data from 238 Ss indicated a corrected median split-half reliability coefficient of 0.93 and a median alpha coefficient of 0.92. Validity was examined by correlating CDP scores with scores on the Attitude Toward Disabled Persons Scale. 10 correlation coefficients ranged from –0.26 to +0.40, with a median correlation of +0.10. Most coefficients were attenuated because of the limited range of scores on one or both measures. The range of correlations indicates the complexity of the relationship between contact and attitudes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Bioethics: occupational therapy attitudes toward the prolongation of life

Two cases of massive pulmonary embolism, confirmed by angiographic or necropsy findings, were remarkable by the absence of arterial hypoxaemia. The various mechanisms responsible for arterial hypoxaemia in pulmonary embolism are discussed. It is suggested that in patients with massive pulmonary embolism a markedly decreased cardiac output might account for the absence of arterial hypoxaemia. In the light of these two cases the finding of a normal PaO2 does not rule out the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism.     

Patient attitudes toward rooming with persons with HIV infection

BACKGROUND: Early in the HIV epidemic, hospitals developed strict isolation policies for patients with HIV infection, some of which have not been revised. The objectives of this study were to examine patient attitudes about rooming with persons with various medical conditions, including HIV, and to assess their knowledge about the transmission of HIV. METHODS: One hundred four inpatients at a university hospital were surveyed by means of a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. Patients were asked about preference for a single or double room, and about their objections to rooming with patients with HIV infection and other medical conditions. The questionnaire also examined subject's knowledge about the transmission of HIV. RESULTS: Of 104 inpatients surveyed, 55% objected to rooming with an HIV-seropositive patient. Patients who objected to rooming with an HIV-seropositive patient were also more likely to object to rooming with a disfigured patient (relative risk = 1.5; 95% CI, 1.1 to 2.2), or with a demented patient (relative risk = 1.7; 95% CI, 1.0 to 2.9). Also, patients who objected to rooming with an HIV-seropositive patient had greater misconceptions about the transmissibility of HIV infection. CONCLUSIONS: A significant proportion of patients reported an unwillingness to room with patients with HIV infection, but also had misconceptions about the transmissibility of HIV. Current rooming policies may perpetuate misconceptions about the possibility of causal transmission of HIV.     

Children's attitudes toward peers with disabilities: the Israeli perspective

Attitudes toward peers with disabilities were compared in two groups of elementary school children, Israeli (2845 children) and Canadian (1831 children), using the Chedoke-McMaster Attitudes Toward Children with Handicaps (CATCH) scale. Israeli children expressed significantly more positive general attitudes (P=0.0001). The more favourable attitudes were seen in both areas evaluated by the CATCH, the cognitive and the affective-behavioural. In both groups, children who had had previous experience with a disabled person expressed more positive attitudes (P=0.001). An effect of gender was seen in the Canadian but not in the Israeli children. Cultural factors appear to play a role in modelling children's attitudes toward their disabled peers and therefore should be considered before educational programmes are implemented.     

Direct and indirect methods to measure attitudes toward persons with disabilities, with an exegesis of the error-choice test method.

Presents principles for the development of an error-choice test to demonstrate how direct and indirect methods are used to measure attitudes toward persons with disabilities. Examples of direct methods are interviews, surveys, sociometrics, rankings, adjective checklist, social distance scales, and paired-comparison scales; all of which are limited by threats to the validity of the resultant data. Indirect methods are physiological, nonobtrusive behavioral observation, projective techniques, and disguised procedures. Indirect methods should be useful among service providers whose responses to a direct method may be biased by respondent sensitization, response styles, and reactive effects. The error-choice method can supplement the direct attitude instruments because of the high probability that direct measurement methods alone will yield biased data. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The structure of attitudes toward persons with disabilities: An Israeli validation of Siller's Disability Factor Scales—General (DFS—G).

Investigated the transcultural generalizability of the Disability Factor Scales—General (DFS—G) of J. Siller et al (1967) in 658 Jewish Israeli 11th and 12th graders and undergraduates. All Ss filled out a Hebrew translation of the 69-item DFS—G. Factor analysis of the Ss' responses provided support for the replicability of a major part of the DFS—G's structure. Also, a subsample of 114 Ss was administered the Edwards Social Desirability Scale while a subsample of 197 Ss was administered the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. Correlations between some scales of the DFS—G and these 2 measures are discussed as possible evidence that attitudes toward disability may reflect defenses against intra- and interpersonal pressures. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An ordering-theoretic analysis of attitudes toward disabled persons.

Administered 15 items of the Attitude Toward Disabled Persons Scale, Form 0 to 150 university students. The resultant nonlinear hierarchy of contingent relationships among the attitude statements illustrates that order analysis provides insight to the structure of attitudes and the dynamics of attitude expression. It is recommended that subsequent research focus on the relationships among fundamental attitude domains through order analysis of S responses to sets of carefully selected attitude statements. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Diversity beliefs as a mediator to faculty attitudes toward students with disabilities.

A survey of a sample of faculty (N = 201) at a large, public university located in the Southwest was conducted to investigate whether differences in faculty attitudes toward diversity positively mediate faculty attitudes toward persons with disabilities. In addition, the current study examined whether differences in faculty attitudes toward diversity may be viewed as positively mediating the relationship between instructor characteristics and their attitudes toward persons with disabilities. This study concludes that faculty members may not be viewing disability as part of the greater construct of diversity with empirical evidence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitudes of management undergraduates toward persons with disabilities: A need for change.

Objective: To examine attitudes toward persons with disabilities of management undergraduates who will be the next generation of professionals and managers hiring and working with employees or clients with disabilities. Participants: A convenience sample of 231 volunteer management undergraduates (129 men and 102 women) ranging in age from 19 to 51 years (M?=?22.89, SD?=?4.43) from 7 human resource management and organizational behavior management classes in a small western Canadian university. Main Outcome Measures: L. Gething's (1991) Interaction With Disabled Persons Scale (IDP) along with openended questions and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (D. P. Crowne & D. Marlowe, 1960). Results: This Canadian sample expressed a complex set of positive and negative attitudes toward persons with disabilities. Conclusions: There is a need to sensitize management undergraduates to issues regarding employment of people with disabilities. Recommendations are presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effect of stress on expressed attitudes toward self and others.

"There were two main phases of this study: (a) prestress administration of tests of acceptance of self and others, and (b) the stress phase during which tests of acceptance of self and others were readministered… . It was predicted that following introduction of stress, Ss would: (a) express liking for more pictures of people, (b) rate others more favorably, and (c) make significant changes in their self-ratings… . All three hypotheses were supported by the data… ." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Medical students' attitudes toward radiology: comparison of matriculating and graduating students

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: To determine graduating medical students' perceptions of radiology and to document changes in their perceptions since they entered medical school. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A survey questionnaire was distributed to 213 graduating students. Questions were similar to those answered by the same group of students as they entered medical school nearly 4 years earlier. RESULTS: The survey was anonymously completed by 140 students. Seventy percent of students changed their choice of medical specialty since entering medical school. Factors with a major or important influence on specialty choice included intellectual excitement (96%), high patient contact (86%), opportunity for a good family life (72%), and regular hours (57%). Radiology was perceived to be a well-paid (89%), "high-tech" (86%) specialty with a healthy lifestyle (82%), regular hours (99%), and good family life (92%), but it was not perceived to offer high patient contact (1%) and was intellectually exciting to only 33% of students. This perception was unchanged from freshman year. CONCLUSIONS: This 4-year longitudinal study of a medical student class documents surprisingly little change in the perception of radiology throughout medical school. High patient contact and intellectual excitement, both factors of major or important influence on specialty choice, were thought to be lacking in radiology.     

Skills training versus psychosocial occupational therapy for persons with persistent schizophrenia

OBJECTIVE: The authors compared the community functioning of outpatients with persistent forms of schizophrenia after treatment with psychosocial occupational therapy or social skills training, with the latter conducted by paraprofessionals. METHOD: Eighty outpatients with persistent forms of schizophrenia were randomly assigned to receive either psychosocial occupational therapy or skills training for 12 hours weekly for 6 months, followed by 18 months of follow-up with case management in the community. Antipsychotic medication was prescribed through "doctor's choice" by psychiatrists who were blind to the psychosocial treatment assignments. RESULTS: Patients who received skills training showed significantly greater independent living skills during a 2-year follow-up of everyday community functioning. CONCLUSIONS: Skills training can be effectively conducted by paraprofessionals, with durability and generalization of the skills greater than that achieved by occupational therapists who provide their patients with psychosocial occupational therapy.     

The structure of attitudes toward persons with a disability, when specific disability and context are considered.

Examined the structure of the Disability Social Relationship (DSR) scale developed by S. A. Grand et al (1982) with data from 259 university students in 5 health care areas: occupational therapy, physical therapy, medicine, nursing, and clinical psychology. Data support the multidimensionality of attitudes toward persons who have a physical disability and the interaction influence of specific target disability and social situation on these attitudes. Attitudinal components, as measured by the DSR scale, reflected the importance of perceived limitations of particular disabilities, apprehensions concerning social stigmatization, situational constraints, and Ss' perceptions of functional limitations as interfering with relationships. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The use of microwave ovens by elderly persons with disabilities

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the effectiveness of microwave ovens in assisting elderly persons with disabilities with cooking food. METHOD: The participants were five elderly persons who had gross motor, fine motor, or vision impairments but no cognitive impairments. Before the study, none of the participants owned or operated a microwave oven. In this single-subject design of four phases (ABAB), training in microwave oven use was provided between the first A (baseline) and first B (intervention) phases. Participants had access so the microwave oven in their homes only during the B phases. Each phase lasted for 3 weeks, for a total of 12 weeks. The frequency of using cooking appliances, the number of food items prepared, and the time spent preparing meals were recorded through daily self-reports. RESULTS: All participants showed an increase in the frequency of using cooking appliances for at least one of the two B phases, although they showed different patterns. The number of food items prepared increased in the B phases, except for two participants who were ill. With the introduction of the microwave oven, time spent preparing meals decreased for all five participants, and their participation in meal preparation increased. Although not measured as a study variable, results suggest that the quality of diet also improved with microwave oven use. CONCLUSION: Occupational therapy practitioners who serve elderly clients might consider recommending microwave ovens for those who do not have cognitive impairments but who are having difficulty with cooking because of vision impairments or physical disabilities.     

A survey of students' attitudes toward counseling at a predominantly Black university.

A questionnaire survey of 377 students' attitudes toward counseling at a predominantly Black university produced results similar to those reported for predominantly White campuses. The predisposition to seek out counseling services depended on the type of problem. Most Ss were willing to discuss with the counselor matters related to vocational and educational concerns; however, for personal adjustment problems there was significant decline in the frequency with which the counselor's help was sought. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multiskilling: a survey of occupational therapy practitioners' attitudes

OBJECTIVE: Multiskilling has been identified as one means of reducing she cost of health care. This study examined occupational therapy practitioners' knowledge of multiskilling, how it is affecting service delivery and quality of care, and how therapists believe the addition of skills should occur. METHOD: A questionnaire was constructed for the survey and mailed to a random sample of 200 occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants, all of whom were members of the American Occupational Therapy Association. RESULTS: The 117 respondents had a moderate understanding of multiskilling. They responded that multiskilling is beneficial to both the occupational therapy profession and the clients it serves, but they were also aware of its potential risks or disadvantages. According to respondents, multiskilling occurs formally through defined protocol and; more commonly, informally, driven by necessity and the desire to treat the client most effectively. CONCLUSION: The results indicate a need for the occupational therapy profession to define multiskilling and cross training; develop ways of serving clients that respond to administrative needs and constraints while preserving the uniqueness of occupational therapy; and monitor treatment outcomes of all service delivery methods to provide information regarding efficiency, effectiveness, and client satisfaction.