Attitudes toward the disabled and social desirability among university students

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between attitudes toward the disabled and social desirability among university students as well as examining attitudes toward the disabled based on sociodemographic characteristics. A total of 190 students who were studying at various universities in Izmir completed the sociodemographic information form prepared by the researchers, the Attitudes Toward the Disabled Scale, and the Social Desirability Scale. According to statistical analyses, the social desirability score correlated only with the “compassion” subscale of the Attitudes Toward the Disabled Scale. Total scores indicated that females had more positive attitudes toward the disabled compared to males. Participants who were studying at foundation universities had higher social desirability scores compared to those studying at public universities. Finally, state university students scored higher on the “resource distribution” subscale of the attitudes toward the disabled scale compared to foundation university students, meaning that state university students had attitudes that were more positive toward resource allocation for the disabled.