Attitudes Toward People With Intellectual Disability Associated With Integrated Sport Participation

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Carly Albaum ◽  
Annie Mills ◽  
Diane Morin ◽  
Jonathan A. Weiss

Direct, meaningful contact with people with intellectual disability, such as through integrated sport, may be related to positive attitudes. The current study aimed to compare implicit (unconscious) and explicit (conscious) attitudes between adults involved in integrated sport events and those in a comparison group who were not and examine the association between attitudes and degree of integrated sport involvement. An online survey measuring attitudes was completed by 295 adults without intellectual disability who participated in integrated sport activities and 450 adults who did not. Individuals involved in integrated sport reported less negative behavioral and affective attitudes relative to the comparison group, with mixed results for cognitive attitudes. Groups did not differ on implicit attitudes. Greater integrated sport involvement was related to some aspects of explicit attitudes. Involvement in integrated sport may be linked to how participants view intellectual disability, which has important implications for enhancing social inclusion and informing positive attitudes.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eilidh Cage ◽  
Taylor Doyle

Background: Autistic children are frequently taught in mainstream schools, and it is imperative educators have appropriate knowledge and attitudes towards autism. In Scotland, policy aims for inclusion. However, there are few studies investigating Scottish educator’s knowledge and attitudes towards autism, even though these could be a barrier to inclusion.Aims: This study investigated Scottish educator’s implicit and explicit attitudes towards autistic children. We also aimed to understand the relationships between attitudes, knowledge and experience.Sample: Seventy primary school educators working in Scotland took part, with a mean age of 43. Most were female (n=64) and had on average 12 years’ experience working in schools. Methods: Participants completed a Single-Category Implicit Association Test (SC-IAT), to assess implicit attitudes towards autism. They also completed two explicit attitude measures (openness to autism and cognitive attitudes), and measures of autism knowledge and level of contact.Results: Overall, participants held positive attitudes in explicit and implicit measures. Some participants (24%) expressed negative implicit attitudes. There were correlations between explicit attitudes, age and years of experience, with older, more experienced staff having more negative attitudes. In regression analyses, greater autism knowledge predicted more positive explicit cognitive attitudes towards autistic children.Conclusions: These findings indicate mostly positive attitudes in this sample. Younger educators with less experience may have more positive attitudes, perhaps reflecting societal changes in perceptions of autism. Greater knowledge predicted positive attitudes, suggesting that targeting knowledge may improve attitudes. Scotland’s policies may have the potential to support the effective inclusion of autistic pupils in schools.


2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 646-646
Author(s):  
Davies MA ◽  
LoGalbo A

Abstract Objective When COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic, collegiate athletic departments faced the difficult decision to postpone or cancel sport activities. Aside from concerns of virus transmission, disruptions in sport impacted student-athletes broadly. This study aimed to investigate athletes’ experiences during the pandemic toward developing a better understanding of athletes’ attitudes about the virus and returning to sport. Methods Participants included 245 varsity student-athletes across NCAA sports and divisions who voluntarily completed an online survey between August and October 2020. Results A positive COVID-19 result during the pandemic was reported by 1 in 4 athletes. Mental health, cancelled seasons, and academic progress were rated the top three COVID-related concerns. Declines in physical fitness were reported by 50% of participants and change in weight was reported by 45%. While agreement that their athletic department was taking COVID-19 seriously was endorsed by 78% of athletes, 26% believed the proposed safety procedures lacked feasibility. Concern about speaking up if the procedures were not followed was endorsed by 79% of athletes. Of the participants, 88% agreed that they have a social responsibility to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Only 44% worried about being exposed to the virus during sport participation. Comfort returning to sport immediately was endorsed by 70% of student-athletes. Just over half said they would get vaccinated if the vaccine became available. Conclusions Student-athletes have been affected by the pandemic in several ways. It is evident that athletes are concerned about the pandemic’s impact on mental and physical health and are eager to return to sport.


Author(s):  
Douglas Carothers ◽  
Hasan Aydin ◽  
Clarisse Halpern

Empirical evidence suggests that college attendance by students with intellectual disability (ID) results in numerous short- and long-term academic and social benefits. However, insufficient literature has explored the attitudes of constituent groups of universities toward the social and academic inclusion of students with ID before introducing these students to educational programs on campus. This paper reports on the results of a survey applied to administrators, faculty, staff, and students of a Southeastern public university to examine their attitudes toward students with ID in college academics and social activities on campus. The differences in attitudes were also examined based on the participants’ academic discipline, gender, and role within the academic community. The results indicate that all constituencies on campus had positive attitudes toward the participation of students with ID in college academics. However, significant differences were found based on their academic disciplines; participants from the College of Education had the most positive attitudes, while those from the College of Business had the least positive responses. Recommendations for future research are included. The article emphasizes the benefits of planning inclusive post-secondary programs to include students with ID and create a welcoming education environment to provide the best possible education to all students.


Crisis ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 135-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin F. Ward-Ciesielski ◽  
Madeline D. Wielgus ◽  
Connor B. Jones

Background: Suicide-bereaved individuals represent an important group impacted by suicide. Understanding their experiences following the suicide of a loved one is an important research domain, despite receiving limited attention. Although suicide-bereaved individuals may benefit from mental health treatment, their attitudes toward therapy and therapists are poorly understood. Aims: The present study aimed to understand the extent to which bereaved individuals’ attitudes toward therapy and therapists are impacted by whether their loved one was in therapy at the time of death. Method: Suicide-bereaved individuals (N = 243) from the United States were recruited to complete an online survey about their experience with and attitudes toward therapy and therapists following the suicide of a loved one. Results: Bereaved individuals whose loved one was in therapy at the time of death (N = 48, 19.8%) reported more negative and less positive attitudes toward the treating therapist than those whose loved one was not in therapy at the time of death (N = 81, 33.3%) or whose loved one was never in therapy/the deceased’s therapy status was unknown (N = 114, 46.9%). Conclusion: The deceased’s involvement with a therapist appears to be an important factor impacting the experience of bereaved individuals and should be considered when attempting to engage these individuals in postvention.


2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 72-81
Author(s):  
Christina M. Rudin-Brown ◽  
Eve Mitsopoulos-Rubens ◽  
Michael G. Lenné

Random testing for alcohol and other drugs (AODs) in individuals who perform safety-sensitive activities as part of their aviation role was introduced in Australia in April 2009. One year later, an online survey (N = 2,226) was conducted to investigate attitudes, behaviors, and knowledge regarding random testing and to gauge perceptions regarding its effectiveness. Private, recreational, and student pilots were less likely than industry personnel to report being aware of the requirement (86.5% versus 97.1%), to have undergone testing (76.5% versus 96.1%), and to know of others who had undergone testing (39.9% versus 84.3%), and they had more positive attitudes toward random testing than industry personnel. However, logistic regression analyses indicated that random testing is more effective at deterring AOD use among industry personnel.


Psych ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 61-71
Author(s):  
Maren Weiss ◽  
Anja Hildebrand ◽  
Hellmuth Braun-Scharm ◽  
Mark Stemmler

[U25] is a German online-peer-counseling service for adolescents with suicidal ideation, who typically do not seek or receive adequate counseling. We conducted an online survey in order to compare persons who receive online counseling by [U25] compared to those who are visitors of [U25] websites but do not (yet) receive counseling. Via online survey, all visitors to the [U25] websites were invited to fill in a questionnaire on sociodemographic data, utilization reasons, and barriers. Our final sample consisted of n = 318 counseling clients, n = 1127 persons who have not yet sought help but intend to do so (“prospective clients”), and n = 444 persons who do not consider [U25] counseling for themselves (“refusers”). Clients were more often female and showed positive attitudes toward online counseling. Low perceived need for counseling was the most frequent barrier reported by the refusers, whereas fear of stigma and practical barriers were rarely reported; younger and male refusers reported needing to write down one’s problems as a barrier more often. Self-selection might reduce generalizability of our results. Online counseling can facilitate receiving psychosocial support for young persons with suicidal ideation, particularly if barriers are addressed.


2021 ◽  
pp. 174462952110221
Author(s):  
Darren McCausland ◽  
Esther Murphy ◽  
Mary McCarron ◽  
Philip McCallion

Person-centred planning (PCP) puts individuals with an intellectual disability at the centre of service and support planning, identifying how individuals wish to live their lives and what is needed to make that possible. PCP has been identified as having the potential to facilitate improved social inclusion and community participation. A mixed-methods approach combined quantitative analyses with qualitative case studies of individuals with severe-profound intellectual disability to assess the impact of PCP on community participation for adults with an intellectual disability at a disability service in Dublin. We conclude that PCP may provide a good basis to plan community participation and, with the right supports in place, may provide opportunities for people with complex needs to improve their community participation. Supports including familiar staff and family are critical to the success of PCP for people with complex needs, and their absence may undermine the best intentions of PCP for this population.


Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 638
Author(s):  
Yuki Yano ◽  
Tetsuya Nakamura ◽  
Satoshi Ishitsuka ◽  
Atsushi Maruyama

Vertical indoor farming under artificial lighting has gained attention as a novel means of food production. However, consumer acceptance of vegetable crops grown under artificial conditions is not well understood. Our nationwide online survey of 289 Russians gathered attitudes and opinions toward vertically farmed vegetables. Employing an ordered logit model and a two-mode co-occurrence network analysis, we show how respondents’ attitudes relate to their key demographic characteristics and opinions about the vegetables. Results indicate that respondents’ attitudes are heterogeneous and related to their region of residence, income level, and opinions regarding nutrients, safety, and taste. Respondents in the Central and Volga districts exhibited less favorable attitudes. Less favorably inclined respondents viewed the produce as unnatural, less nutritious, bad-tasting, and even dangerous, presumably because of misconceptions or lack of knowledge. On the other hand, respondents with monthly income above RUB 60,001 (1018 USD, 867 EURO) had relatively positive attitudes toward such vegetables. Respondents having positive attitudes saw the vegetables as safe, tasty, and of good quality. We discuss the political and commercial implications of these findings.


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