RESEARCH PAPER
 
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Objective:
The aim of this study was to create a Polish adaptation of the Multidimensional Attitudes Scale toward Persons with Disabilities (MAS) by performing a statistical psychometric analysis in a sample of Polish students.

Material and methods:
The study included 540 person (82.0% of students and 18.0% of workers), whose attitudes towards the disabled were measured with the Polish version of the MAS (MAS-PL). Mean age of respondents was 24.72 years (SD = 5.7), with a significant majority of women (n = 455, 84.3%). Data was collected during university classes and via an online survey.

Results:
Factor analysis yielded a three-factor structure of the MAS-PL, including affective, cognitive, and behavioural domains, which explained almost 45% of the total variance. Further factor-based solutions increased this percentage only slightly (0.8).

Conclusions:
The Polish version of the MAS scale (MAS-PL) has been developed and presented as a reliable instrument for studying the attitudes of Poles towards people with disabilities. The scale can be used as a preliminary assessment tool when creating educational programmes, including those for training and social Policy, as well as assessing the effectiveness of programmes. Studies with the use of the MAS-PL will allow comparisons of research findings conducted with the use of MAS scales in other English-speaking (original/English MAS) or Spanish-speaking (Spanish MAS) populations and German (G-MAS), Korean (MAS-K), Serbian (Serbian MAS), Turkish (Turkish MAS) and French populations (French MAS autism).

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors of this study express their thanks to Liora Findler, Noa Vilchinsky and Shirley Werner, the authors of the MAS Scale, for their kindness in research and permission to adapt the scale.
Radlińska I, Starkowska A, Kożybska M, Flaga-Gieruszyńska K, Karakiewicz B. The multidimensional attitudes scale towards persons with disabilities (MAS) – a Polish adaptation (MAS-PL). Ann Agric Environ Med. 2020; 27(4): 613–620. doi: 10.26444/aaem/114531
REFERENCES (43)
1.
Mahler F. Maldevelopment and Marginality, in: Danecki J (red.) Insights into Maldevelopment, Warsaw (Poland): University of Warsaw; 1996: 193.
 
2.
Livneh H. On the origins of negative attitudes towards people with disabilities. Rehabilitation literature. 1982; 43(11–12): 338–347.
 
3.
World Health Organization. World Report on Disability [Internet]. Geneva: WHO Press; 2011 [cited 2019 Feb 14]. Available from: http://www.who.int/disabilitie....
 
4.
Central Statistical Office. Rocznik Demograficzny 2013 [Demographic Yearbook of Poland] [Internet]. Warsaw [Poland]: Statistical Publishing Establishment; 2013 [cited 2019 Feb 14]. Available from: http://stat.gov.pl/cps/rde/xbc....
 
5.
Hunt P, editor. Stigma: The experience of Disability. London-Dublin-Melbourne: Geoffrey Chapman; 1966: 145–149.
 
6.
Kruger L, editor. Pain and touch. San Diego (CA): Academic Press; 1996. Mark BS, Incorvaia J, editors. The handbook of infant, child, and adolescent psychotherapy. Northvale (NJ): Jason Aronson Inc.; 1995–1997.
 
7.
Bowe F. Handicapping America: Barriers to disabled people. New York (NY): Harper & Row; 1978.
 
8.
Radlińska IA, Ocena prawa i polityki wobec osób niepełnosprawnych intelektualnie w stopniu umiarkowanym [Assessment of law and policy on people with moderate intellectual disability]. [dissertation]. Szczecin: Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin; 2016. Polish.
 
9.
Olivier M. Th e Politics of Disablement. Basingstoke: Macmillan; 1990.
 
10.
Olivier M. Understanding Disability: From Theory to Practise. Basingstoke: Macmillan; 1996.
 
11.
United Nations General Assembly. The Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities with 20 December 1993. New York:UN; 1994. Resolution 48/96.
 
12.
United Nations General Assembly. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities with 13 December 2006, New York:UN; 2006. Resolution 61/106.
 
13.
Findler L, Vilchinsky N, Werner S. The Multidimensional Attitudes Scale Toward Persons With Disabilities (MAS) Construction and Validation, Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin. Rehabil Couns Bull. 2007; 50(3): 166–176.
 
14.
Petty RE. Attitudes and persuasion: Classic and contemporary approaches. Routledge. 2018: 5–6.
 
15.
Wolska-Zogata I. Social attitudes towards the disabled-review of research. Współczesne Pielęgniarstwo i Ochrona Zdrowia. 2012; 1(4): 81–87. Polish.
 
16.
Tan BS, Wilson E, Campain R et al. Understanding Negative Attitudes Toward Disability to Foster Social Inclusion: An Australian Case Study. In Inclusion, Equity and Access for Individuals with Disabilities. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. 2019: 41–65.
 
17.
Hayward L, Fragala-Pinkham M, Schneider J, et al. Examination of the short-term impact of a disability awareness training on attitudes toward people with disabilities: A community-based participatory evaluation approach. Physiotherapy Theory and Practice. 2019: 1–14.
 
18.
Sahin H, Akyol A. D. Evaluation of nursing and medical students’ attitudes towards people with disabilities. J Clin Nurs. 2010; 19(15–16): 2271–2279.
 
19.
Antonak RF, Livneh H. Measurement of attitudes towards persons with disabilities. Disabil Rehabil. 2000; 22(5): 211–224.
 
20.
Lam WY, Gunukula SK, McGuigan D, et al. Validated instruments used to measure attitudes of healthcare students and professionals towards patients with physical disability: a systematic review. J Neuroeng Rehabil. 2010; 7(1): 55. Online Early https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/p... (access: 2019.10.15).
 
21.
Martin AR, Arregui EA. Development and validation of a scale to identify attitudes towards disability in Higher Education. Psicothema. 2013; 25(3): 370–376.
 
22.
Satchidanand N, Gunukula SK, Lam WY, et al. Attitudes of healthcare students and professionals toward patients with physical disability: a systematic review. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2012; 91(6): 533–545.
 
23.
Palad YY, Barquia RB, Domingo HC, et al. Scoping review of instruments measuring attitudes toward disability. Disabil Health J. 2016;9(3): 354–374.
 
24.
Yuker HE, Block JR, Young JH. The measurement of attitudes toward disabled persons. Albertson, NY: Human Resources Center, 1966.
 
25.
Rosenberg MJ, Hovland CI, editors. Attitude organization and change: An analysis of consistency among attitude components. Oxford (England): Yale University Press; 1966.
 
26.
Dachez J, Ndobo A, Ameline A. French validation of the multidimensional attitude scale toward persons with disabilities (MAS): the case of attitudes toward autism and their moderating factors. J Autism Dev Disord. 2015; 45(8): 2508–2518.
 
27.
Vilchinsky N, Werner S, Findler L. Gender and attitudes toward people using wheelchairs: A multidimensional perspective. Rehabil Couns Bull. 2010; 53(3): 163–174.
 
28.
Banks CM. Creating positive attitudes toward people with disabilities through inclusion. [dissertation]. Hanover (IN): Hanover College; 2008.
 
29.
Dragojević N, Milačić-Vidojević I, Hanak N. Attitudes Toward People With Physical Disabilities, their structure and correlating variables. Special education and rehabilitation science and/or practice. 2010: 29–51.
 
30.
Getachew AT. Attitudes of Ethiopian college students toward people with visible disabilities. [dissertation]. Iowa City (Iowa): University of Iowa; 2011.
 
31.
Stevens LF, Getachew MA, Perrin PB, et al. Factor analysis of the Spanish Multidimensional Attitudes Scale Toward Persons with Disabilities. Rehabil Psychol. 2013; 58(4): 396–404.
 
32.
Lund EM; Seekins T. Early Exposure to People with Physical and Sensory Disabilities and Later Attitudes toward Social Interactions and Inclusion. Physical Disabilities: Education and Related Services. 2014; 33(1): 1–16.
 
33.
Kim KH, Lu J; Estrada-Hernandez N. Attitudes toward people with disabilities: The tripartite model, social desirability, and other controversial variables. JAPC. 2015; 5(1): 23–37.
 
34.
Yelpaze İ; Türküm AS. Adaptation and Validation of Turkey Version of Multidimensional Attitudes toward Persons with Disabilities. OPUS-International Journal of Society Researches. 2018; 8(14): 167–187 Online https://toad.edam.com.tr/sites... (access: 2019.02.28).
 
35.
Wöhrle J, Franke S, Kissgen R. The German Multidimensional Attitude Scale Toward Persons With Disabilities (G-MAS): A factor analytical study among high-school students. Rehabil Psychol. 2018; 63(1): 83–91.
 
36.
De laat S; Freriksen E; Vervloed MPJ. Attitudes of children and adolescents toward persons who are deaf, blind, paralyzed or intellectually disabled. Res Dev Disabil. 2013; 34(2): 855–863.
 
37.
Crowne DP, Marlowe D. A new scale of social desirability independent of psychopathology. J Consult Psychol. 1960; 24: 349–354.
 
38.
Kropp JJ, Wolfe BD. College Students’ Perceptions on Effects of Volunteering with Adults with Developmental Disabilities. Journal of Higher Education Outreach and Engagement. 2018; 22(3): 93–118.
 
39.
Kwon J. Effects of Gamified Disability Awareness Program on the Peers’ Disability. Journal of Korea Game Society. 2019; 19(2): 45–54.
 
40.
Goreczny AJ, Bender EE, Caruso G, Feinstein CS. Attitudes toward individuals with disabilities: Results of a recent survey and implications of those results. Res Dev Disabil. 2011; 32(5): 1596–1609.
 
41.
Hampton N, Zhu Y. Gender, culture, and attitudes toward people with psychiatric disabilities. Journal of Applied Rehabilitation Counseling. 2011; 42(3): 12–19.
 
42.
Morin DD, Rivard MM, Crocker AG, Boursier CP, Caron JJ. Public attitudes towards intellectual disability: A multidimensional perspective. J Intellect Disabil Res. 2013; 57(3): 279–292.
 
43.
Li C, Tsoi ES, Wang JK. Chinese college students attitudes toward people with intellectual disabilities: Differences by study major, gender, contact, and knowledge. Int J Dev Disabil. 2012; 58(3): 137–144.
 
eISSN:1898-2263
ISSN:1232-1966
Journals System - logo
Scroll to top