Determinants of attitudes towards people with disabilities in medical and nursing care students

Abstract

Introduction. There is a great interest for examination of attitudes towards people with disabilities. The prevalent view is that attitudes reflect our predisposition to behave towards certain groups of people in a stereotypical and predictable way. Methods. The study included 359 students of Faculty of Medicine Foča. Students attend two study programs: Medicine (77.2 %) and Nursing Care (22.8). A sample consisted of students from all years of study (Medical 1 to 6 and Nursing 1 to 4). Student's attitudes were examined by Attitude Towards Disabled Person Scale - ATDP, form O. Frequency of respondents contact with people with disabilities was evaluated by Contact with Disabled Person Scale - CDP. Data related to gender, age, year of study, study program and training were obtained by demographic questionnaire created for this research. Results. Results show that medical students (3.24 ± 0.55) and nursing care students (3.10 ± 0.64) generally have slightly positive attitudes towards people with disabilities. We have not found statistically important difference between the attitudes of students of different years of study and attitudes towards people with disabilities (p >0.05), as well as in terms of gender and attitudes (medical: t=0.178, p=0.859, nursing care: t=1.349, p=0.181). Medical students (1.69 ± 0.50) and nursing students (1.68 ± 0.53) have low frequency of contacts (never or once or twice). Results show there is not any significant relation, that is correlation between attitudes and frequency of contacts, neither in students of medicine (r = 0.054, p = 0.374) nor in nursing students (r = 0.22, p = 0.044). Conclusion. Students of both study programs do not receive enough information about patients with disabilities and manner of work with them within the contents of the subjects, as well as they rarely meet with patients with disabilities within their practical work at clinics, they do not visit institutions for people with disabilities and they do not receive education on health protection of this population.

Uvod. Postoji veliko interesovanje za ispitivanje stavova prema osobama sa ometenošću. Stavovi odražavaju našu predispoziciju da se prema određenim društvenim grupama ponašamo na stereotipan i predvidljiv način. Metode. Istraživanjem je obuhvaćeno 359 studenata Medicinskog fakulteta u Foči, koji pohađaju dva studijska programa: studijski program Medicina (77,2%) i studijski program Zdravstena njega (22,8 %). Uzorak su činili studenti svih godina studija (Medicina od 1. do 6. godine i Zdravstvena njega od 1. do 4). Stavovi studenata ispitani su O formom Skale za procjenu stavova prema osobama sa ometenošću (Attitude Toward Disabled Person Scale - ATDP, form O). Učestalost kontakta ispitanika sa osobama s ometenošću provjeravana je Skalom za procjenu učestalosti kontakta s osobama s ometenošću (Contact with Disabled Person Scale - CDP). Podaci vezani za pol, starost, godinu studija, studijski program i obuku dobijeni su demografskim upitnikom konstruisanim za ovo istraživanje. Rezultati. Rezultati pokazuju da studenti medicine (3,24 ± 0,55) i zdravstvene njege (3,10 ± 0,64 ) imaju umjereno pozitivne stavove prema osobama s ometenošću. Ni na jednom studijskom programu nije pronađena statistički značajna razlika između godina studija i stavova prema osobama sa ometenošću, (p >0,05), kao ni između pola i stavova (Medicina: t = 0,178, p=0,859, Zdravstvena njega: t = 1,349, p = 0,181). Studenti studijskog programa Medicine (1,69 ± 0,50) i zdravstvene njege (1,68 ± 0,53) imaju nisku učestalost kontakta (nikada ili jednom ili dvaput). Rezultati pokazuju da ne postoji značajna korelacija između stavova i učestalosti kontakta ni kod studenata studijskog programa medicine (r = 0,054, p = 0,374), ni studijskog programa Zdravstvene njege (r = 0,22, p = 0,044). Zaključak. Studenti oba studijska programa u okviru svojih studija ne dobijaju dovoljno informacija o pacijentima sa ometenošću i načinu rada sa njima. U okviru kliničke prakse rijetko se sreću sa pacijentima koji imaju neku vrstu ometenosti, ne posjećuju ustanove za smještaj osoba s ometenošću (domovi, zavodi, dnevni centri), niti dobijaju edukaciju o zdravstvenoj zaštiti tih osoba.