OBJECTIVE: Research has shown that attitudes toward different disabilities form a hierarchy, with observers exhibiting more positive attitudes toward persons with physical disabilities than toward persons with psychiatric disabilities. In addition, investigations of attitudes toward persons with a disability indicate that they are often perceived as asexual. The current study examined whether involvement of persons with either a physical or psychiatric disability in a sexual relationship moderates the relation between their type of disability and attitudes toward them. METHOD:After reading one of six randomly assigned vignettes, university students (N = 195) filled out a semantic differential-based attitude scale (Katz & Shurka, 1977; Kravetz, Katz, & Albez, 1994). The six vignettes consisted of a male with a physical disability/with a psychiatric disability/without a disability, who was either involved/not involved in a sexual relationship. RESULTS: An interaction between type of disability and involvement in a sexual relationship was found for two subscales of the attitudes scale, occupation and intelligence. Involvement in a sexual relationship was found to generate more positive attitudes when the target person had a physical disability but more negative attitudes when he had a psychiatric disability. CONCLUSIONS: Involvement in a sexual relationship seems to work in favor of persons with a physical disability because of the association of such a relationship with normality and adaptation. However, attributing such a relationship to persons with a psychiatric disability seems to be stigmatic. (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.
RCT Entities:
OBJECTIVE: Research has shown that attitudes toward different disabilities form a hierarchy, with observers exhibiting more positive attitudes toward persons with physical disabilities than toward persons with psychiatric disabilities. In addition, investigations of attitudes toward persons with a disability indicate that they are often perceived as asexual. The current study examined whether involvement of persons with either a physical or psychiatric disability in a sexual relationship moderates the relation between their type of disability and attitudes toward them. METHOD: After reading one of six randomly assigned vignettes, university students (N = 195) filled out a semantic differential-based attitude scale (Katz & Shurka, 1977; Kravetz, Katz, & Albez, 1994). The six vignettes consisted of a male with a physical disability/with a psychiatric disability/without a disability, who was either involved/not involved in a sexual relationship. RESULTS: An interaction between type of disability and involvement in a sexual relationship was found for two subscales of the attitudes scale, occupation and intelligence. Involvement in a sexual relationship was found to generate more positive attitudes when the target person had a physical disability but more negative attitudes when he had a psychiatric disability. CONCLUSIONS: Involvement in a sexual relationship seems to work in favor of persons with a physical disability because of the association of such a relationship with normality and adaptation. However, attributing such a relationship to persons with a psychiatric disability seems to be stigmatic. (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.
Authors: Simona Gabriella Di Santo; Margherita Colombo; Marco Silvaggi; Giorgia Rosamaria Gammino; Valentina Fava; Chiara Malandrino; Chiara Nanini; Cristina Rossetto; Sara Simone; Stefano Eleuteri Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2022-01-17 Impact factor: 3.390