J Appl Res Intellect Disabil. 2025 Sep;38(5):e70137. doi: 10.1111/jar.70137.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Attitudes of health and education professionals towards individuals with disabilities critically influence service quality and inclusion. Few studies have compared these attitudes during professional training.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 425 Spanish university students (48.6% nursing; 51.4% education; 76.5% female; M_age = 20.33), using the Attitudes Towards Persons With Disabilities Scale (EAPD) and a sociodemographic questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis tested the EAPD’s three-factor structure; measurement invariance and latent mean comparisons were analysed using structural equation modelling.
RESULTS: EAPD demonstrated good psychometric properties and invariance across groups. Education students reported significantly more positive attitudes than nursing students on social relations (d ≈0.40), normalisation (d ≈0.41) and intervention programmes (d ≈0.51). Female gender, prior contact and progressive ideology were also associated with more positive attitudes.
CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight attitudinal differences by field of study and underscore the need for targeted educational interventions, particularly, in healthcare programmes.
PMID:41074828 | DOI:10.1111/jar.70137
