Public attitudes towards intellectual disability: a multidimensional perspective

An exploratory survey of a small suburban community near Los Angeles investigated the attitudes and values underlying acceptance of technological applications, examined the relationship of general attitudes toward technology to conservation attitudes and behavior during the energy crisis of 1973–1974, and contrasted college students with the surrounding community in their regard for technology and energy conservation. Two distinct dimensions of attitudes toward technology utility and affect–were defined and found to relate to belief in the reality of the energy crisis and preferred solutions, but not to reported conservation behavior. Moreover, in contrast to popular images, no strong antitechnology sentiment was found among the college sample

Although sexuality is a central component of human life, it is often discouraged and inaccessible to many adults with intellectual disabilities (ID). Common misperceptions and stereotypes of people with ID, such as being asexual, childlike, or innocent, impact the provision of sexual education, opportunities, and rights for many people with ID. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of gender, familiarity with ID, and cultural orientation on predicting attitudes towards the sexuality of people with ID. Participants included 227 students from two U.S. universities with a large international student population. Collectively, predictors explained 32% of the variance in attitudes towards sexuality, with cultural orientation variables accounting for the greatest amount (27%). Using Triandis’ four-factor conceptualization of culture, horizontal individualism and horizontal collectivism were associated with more positive attitudes, and vertical individualism was associated with more negative attitudes. Results highlight the impact of individual and societal characteristics on attitudes, suggesting that cultural orientation plays a role in mitigating and perpetuating stigma toward individuals with ID. Implications for research and practice are provided.

This study investigated typically developing children's attitudes to physical and intellectual disabilities using the Peer Attitudes Toward the Handicapped Scale (PATHS). Participants were 202 children aged from 9 to 12 years in mainstream classes in the UK. The effect of knowledge about disabilities on attitudes was investigated by controlling whether children received a description of either a child with cerebral palsy or a child with Down syndrome before or after completing the PATHS. Children's friendship intentions towards the described child were also elicited. More positive attitudes toward intellectual disabilities were expressed by children provided with information about Down syndrome. More negative attitudes toward physical disability were expressed by children provided with information about cerebral palsy. This pattern was mostly attributable to the responses of girls who appeared to be more sensitive to the provision of information. Only children's attitudes to physical disability predicted friendship intentions.

Background In light of the fact that electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use is a newly emergingbehavior in the Middle Eastern region, where tobacco consumption is widespread, it is imperative to examine the present state of e-cigarette awareness and attitudes toward e-cigarettes. The aim of this research is to investigate the level of knowledge and attitudes pertaining to the utilization of e-cigarettes within the context of Saudi Arabia. Methodology A cross-sectional online survey study was conducted between May and September 2023 to assess public knowledge and attitudes toward e-cigarettes in Saudi Arabia. This study utilized a previously validatedquestionnaire to assess the knowledge and attitudes of participants regarding e-cigarettes. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify predictors of being knowledgeable of and having a positive attitude toward e-cigarettes. Results A total of 422 participants were involved in this study. Around one-third of the study participants were current smokers (37.2%). The median knowledge score for the study participants was 13.00 (11.00-14.00), which reflects a high level of e-cigarette knowledge. The median knowledge score for the study participants ranged between 3.00 and 15.00. The median attitude score for the study participants was 3.00 (1.00-5.00), which reflects a negative attitude toward the use of e-cigarettes. The median attitude score for the study participants ranged between 0.00 and 12.00. Participants with a monthly income of 5,001 SAR and above were more likely to be knowledgeable about e-cigarette use (p < 0.05). However, binary logistic regression analysis did not identify any statistically significant predictor of positive attitude toward the use of e-cigarettes (p > 0.05). Conclusions The study population exhibited a significant level of knowledge regarding e-cigarettes, which was coupled with a prevailing negative attitude toward their use. The income level of individuals emerged as a significant predictor of e-cigarette knowledge. To obtain a comprehensive knowledge of the factors that contribute to negative attitudes toward e-cigarette usage, particularly among specific demographic groups, it is imperative to employ a qualitative research methodology.

Prior to use in patients in the clinical setting, the safety, mechanism of action, and efficacy of new treatments must be established. This often requires testing new treatments in animals. Public attitudes toward animal research have been investigated, but less is known about the attitudes of physicians. To begin to address this, we examined attitudes of medical students regarding animal research, and whether these attitudes were rigidly held. We surveyed US-based student members of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). Students were questioned regarding agreement or disagreement with a set of 14 positively- or negatively-biased statements regarding animal research. To determine if these attitudes were rigidly held, students viewed an educational video regarding animals used in research and repeated the survey immediately after the video. One hundred sixty-eight students completed the initial survey. A group attitude score was calculated based on agreement with 14 statements. Males and those with previous research experience had a significantly more positive attitude toward animal research, but other variables had no effect. After viewing the video, 108 students repeated the survey. The overall attitude of respondents changed to be significantly more positive toward animal research. Of the 14 statements, attitudes toward 7 individual statements became significantly more positive after viewing the video. To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine attitudes toward animal research among medical students. Overall, the group's attitude toward animal research was more positive than negative. However, these negative attitudes do not appear to be rigidly held. These findings should be considered in the future of medical education curriculum development.

Many have contended that the white American public's negative attitudes toward Japan's domestic market are caused by one or more of three categories: economic, ethnic, and cultural elements. To date, no study has examined the connections between these categories. A questionnaire survey was used to collect responses from 296 white college students. A multiple regression analysis found that only economic elements were responsible for the negative attitudes toward Japan's domestic market. Neither cultural nor ethnic elements were found responsible. However, the economic elements accounted for about 10% of the variance in negative attitudes, leaving the vast majority of the variance unexplained. These findings suggest that elements responsible for the white American public's negative attitudes toward Japan's domestic market are not as simple as previously assumed.

IntroductionMathematics anxiety is phenomenon that blocks students from learning mathematics. Mark Ashcraft defines math anxiety as a feeling of tension, apprehension, or fear that interferes with math (Ashcraft, 2002). Extended mathematics anxiety can contribute to the development of negative attitude toward the subject. On the other hand, some researchers used mathematics anxiety as part of their instrument to measure attitudes toward mathematics (Tapia, 1996). Thus, Mathematics anxiety and attitude toward mathematics can be interrelated, both having implications in teaching and learning mathematics. Anxious individuals will avoid subjects, courses, and careers that involve mathematics. Such avoidance can limit students' opportunities and career pathways. For this reason, Hoffer reported that attitudes change rapidly and must be studied more intensely (Hoffer, 1993). Moreover, many professional associations for mathematics have emphasized the need to improve students' attitudes toward mathematics.Howson and Wilson suggested that mathematics courses must offer materials that are personally engaging and useful, or motivating in some ways (Howson & Wilson, 1986). Additionally, implementing real-life applications in class has been proven to be effective to improve students' attitudes toward mathematics (Wade, 2013). At the University of Cincinnati, Foundations of Quantitative Reasoning, project-based course, was designed in 2012 to teach students to better understand the mathematics used in their daily lives and to use mathematics effectively to make better decisions every day. Contents are organized, with engaging coverage in sections like Taking Control of Your Finances and full chapter about Mathematics and the Arts. After taking the course, students are expected to recognize that mathematics is important and relevant to their lives. This new course serves non-STEM majors to fulfill their mathematics requirements. While Foundations of Quantitative Reasoning contains heavy load of applications, it has similar Student Learning Outcomes regarding mathematical concepts that are also covered in College Algebra. Both courses are college level; however, College Algebra falls in slightly higher level because the prerequisite for College Algebra is minimum score of 430 from the Math Placement Test while the prerequisite for Foundations of Quantitative Reasoning is minimum score of 420 from the same test.Related LiteratureStudents' attitudes toward mathematics have been studied for at least the last forty years (Neale, 1969; Aiken, 1976; Ma & Kishor, 1997; Alkhateeb & Mji, 2005; Hemmings & Kay, 2010). Several researchers reported negative correlation between mathematics anxiety and low performance in mathematics, and negative attitudes towards mathematics (Fennema, 1977; Fennema & Shermon, 1977; Richardson & Suinn, 1972; Tobias & Weissbrod, 1980). Belbase discussed that perceptions of mathematics can have possible impacts on learning with the subsequent development of attitudes toward mathematics and associated mathematics anxiety (Belbase, 2013). In addition, negative attitudes toward mathematics often lead to poor engagement causing students to fail the course (Mayes, Chase, & Walker, 2008). There is also correlation between attitudes toward mathematics and withdrawal rates from mathematics courses (Ma & Willms, 1999). There is some evidence showing that students' positive attitudes toward mathematics have positive impacts on students' achievement in college statistics and mathematics courses (House, 1995; Evans, 2007). The effect of the emporium teaching approach on students' attitudes toward mathematics and students' achievement is positive (Bishop, 2010). In particular, there is another study of the effectiveness of implementing real-life applications in class to improve students' attitudes toward mathematics in college mathematics courses (Hodges & Kim, 2013). …

This research discusses how students’ abilities to understand mathematical concepts are grouped into three types of students’ attitudes toward mathematics. Three types of student attitudes were obtained using a questionnaire which then obtained positive, neutral, and negative attitudes towards mathematics. This research aims to find out how students’ ability to understand concepts with positive, neutral, and negative attitudes towards mathematics. The form of research used is qualitative descriptive research because it prioritizes process rather than results. Students are given test questions and interviews are conducted to validate the validity of the student test result data. The indicators for understanding the concept used in this research are 7 indicators. This research shows that students with positive attitudes toward mathematics fulfill 6 indicators of the 7 indicators of conceptual understanding used in this research. Students with a neutral attitude towards mathematics can fulfill 5 of the 7 indicators of understanding the concept. Students with negative attitudes are only able to understand 1 indicator and tend to be lazy when taking tests.

The purpose of the researcher was to investigate high school students' attitude toward and use of alcohol. The following independent variables were investigated: gender, grade level, peer attitude, parental attitude, and knowledge of alcohol. Alcohol questionnaire scores for Use of Alcohol and Attitude Toward Drinking were employed as dependent variables. The sample consisted of 191 students. Five composite null hypotheses and one null hypothesis were tested at the .05 level. A status survey factorial design was employed using a three-way analysis of variance (general linear model) for the composite null hypotheses and one null hypothesis was tested employing a t-test for correlation coefficient. Of the 36 comparisons, 11 were main effects and 26 were interactions. Of the 11 main effects, 8 were statistically significant at the .05 level. None of the 26 interactions were statistically significant at the .05 level. The results of the present study appeared to support the following generalizations: 1. a more positive peer attitude toward alcohol is associated with a more positive attitude toward drinking; 2. a more positive peer attitude toward alcohol is associated with higher use of alcohol; 3. a more positive parental attitude toward alcohol is associated with a more positive attitude toward drinking; 4. a more positive parental attitude toward alcohol is associated with higher use of alcohol; 5. males have more positive attitude toward drinking than females; 6. males have higher use of alcohol than females; 7. an increase in grade level is associated with a more positive attitude toward drinking; 8. there is no association between grade level and use of alcohol; 9. knowledge of alcohol is not associated with attitude toward drinking; 10. knowledge of alcohol is not associated with use of alcohol ; and 11. there is a positive association between attitude toward drinking and use of alcohol.

Background: Despite the level of awareness of homosexuality is in the increasing trend, health professionals lack a positive attitude toward homosexuality. Aim: The purpose of this study was to determine the level of attitudes toward homosexuality among health professionals. Subject and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 600 health professionals. The attitude toward homosexuality questionnaire was used to assess the attitude of health professionals toward homosexuality. A descriptive analysis, Mann–Whitney U test, and Kruskal Wallis test were used to analyze the data. Observations: The mean score for attitude toward homosexuality questionnaire was 73.04 + 23.39 among the participants. The males had lesser degree of positive attitude compared to higher degree of positive attitude of females toward homosexuality. Participants from rural areas had neutral attitudes, and participants from the urban areas had positive attitudes toward homosexuality. Participants living in nuclear families had positive attitudes toward homosexuality, and participants living in joint families had negative attitudes toward homosexuality. Participants with heterosexual orientation had negative attitudes toward homosexuality. Conclusion: Overall, health professionals had a lesser degree of positive attitude toward homosexuality; they require sensitization to upgrade their positive attitude toward homosexuality for better doctor–patient relationship.

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the attitudes of pregnant women toward general vaccines based on the Health Belief Model and their attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccine. The study, which was designed as a descriptive, cross-sectional, and correlational study, was conducted with 348 pregnant women in three public hospitals in Northern Cyprus between June 24 and November 28, 2022. Data were collected using the “Participant Information Form,” “Public Attitude Toward Vaccination Scale-Health Belief Model” (PAVS-HBM), and “Attitudes Toward the COVID-19 Vaccine” (ATV-COVID-19). The COVID-19 vaccination rate among pregnant women was quite high. Pregnant women have a high perception of sensitivity, importance, benefit, and health responsibility for routine vaccines and vaccination programs based on the HBM, and a low perception of barriers to vaccination. These results showed that pregnant women have a determined and positive attitude toward the acceptance of vaccines in general. On the other hand, the attitude of pregnant women toward the COVID-19 vaccine was moderately negative. Despite the reservations about the COVID-19 vaccine, a determined and positive attitude toward vaccines in general has increased acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine.

In adolescence, feeling lonely and dealing with time spent alone become particularly salient. The present study examined the co-occurrence of parent- and peer-related loneliness, and positive and negative attitudes toward aloneness, using cluster analysis. In three independent samples, covering about 1800 adolescents (61% female), six meaningful groups were identified. These groups showed different associations with adolescents' self-esteem and personality, parental responsiveness and psychological control, and peer group functioning and friendships. An adaptive pattern of correlates was found for adolescents in three of the six groups, that is, the Indifference group (with rather low scores on the four constructs), the Moderate group (with moderate scores on the four constructs), and the Negative Attitude Toward Aloneness group. A rather maladaptive pattern of correlates was found for adolescents in the three other groups, that is, the Peer-Related Loneliness group, the Positive Attitude Toward Aloneness group, and the Parent-Related Loneliness group. More specifically, adolescents in the Peer-Related Loneliness and Positive Attitude Toward Aloneness groups may need assistance regarding their relations with their peers, whereas adolescents in the Parent-Related Loneliness group may need assistance regarding their relations with their parents. Implications of these findings for current understanding and optimal measurement of adolescents' loneliness and aloneness are discussed.

UNDERSTANDING THE PUBLIC’S ATTITUDES TOWARD TISSUE DONATION: A MULTIMETHOD APPROACH Lindsey A. Kurland A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University, 2013 Major Director: Laura A. Siminoff, Professor and Chair, Department of Social and Behavioral Health The impact of deceased tissue donation and transplantation is far-reaching; however, little is known about the public’s attitudes towards tissue donation. Siminoff, Traino, and Gordon (2010) found that families’ attitudes towards tissue donation were a significant predictor of consent; specifically, families that were initially favorable towards tissue donation were more likely to donate their loved ones tissues than families that were initially unfavorable towards tissue donation. Using a qualitative coding approach and the Tripartite Model of Attitude Structure (affective, behavioral, and cognitive attitude components) as a conceptual framework, families’ expressed attitudes toward tissue donation were extracted from N=240 audiorecordings of past tissue donation requests from 16 different OPOs. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with N=14 Tissue Requesters from LifeNet Health in Virginia Beach, Virginia about their perceptions of families’ attitudes. Together, 14 attitude domains and 34 subdomains were derived from the families’ expressed attitudes. Several multivariate analyses were performed. After controlling for time spent discussing tissue donation and confusion between tissues and organs, affective attitudes were significantly different among three FDM initial response groups (favorable, unsure, and unfavorable). Further, the attitude domains “donation invokes positive emotion” and “pro-donation behaviors” were the best discriminators of FDM groups. Suggestions for educational interventions were discussed.

Direct, meaningful contact with people with intellectual disability, such as through integrated sport, may be related to positive attitudes. The current study aimed to compare implicit (unconscious) and explicit (conscious) attitudes between adults involved in integrated sport events and those in a comparison group who were not and examine the association between attitudes and degree of integrated sport involvement. An online survey measuring attitudes was completed by 295 adults without intellectual disability who participated in integrated sport activities and 450 adults who did not. Individuals involved in integrated sport reported less negative behavioral and affective attitudes relative to the comparison group, with mixed results for cognitive attitudes. Groups did not differ on implicit attitudes. Greater integrated sport involvement was related to some aspects of explicit attitudes. Involvement in integrated sport may be linked to how participants view intellectual disability, which has important implications for enhancing social inclusion and informing positive attitudes.

Public awareness, attitudes and beliefs regarding intellectual disability: a systematic review.