Are Attitudes Towards Disability Different When We Refer to Children Versus Adults?

ABSTRACT

In the current research, we aimed to investigate whether there are significant differences in participants’ attitudes towards adults with disabilities (AWD) and children with disabilities (CWD). We also explored a series of demographical factors (i.e. gender, age, educational level, parental status, contact with a friend or a family member with a disability) and participants’ perceived morality, and their potential associations with attitudes towards AWD and CWD. Our sample consisted of 667 adults aged 18 to 67 (M = 28.71, SD = 11.40), most of them with a university degree. Results suggested a generally more favourable attitude towards CWD compared to AWD. Younger participants with children and lower levels of education had more favourable attitudes towards AWD and CWD. We found no significant associations related to participants’ gender or morality. Results are discussed within their relevance for inclusive social and educational programs designed to increase disability awareness.

KEYWORDS:

• Adults
• children
• disability
• education
• perceived morality

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).