Yazan Al-Ajlouni, MD
Resident Doctor
Staten Island University Hospital, Northwell Health
Brooklyn, New York, United States
Andrew salgado, MD
Resident Doctor
Staten Island University Hospital, Northwell Health
Staten Island, New York, United States
Mohammad Tanashat, n/a
Medical Student
Yarmouk University School of Medicine
Irbi, Irbid, Jordan
Mohamed Abouzid, PhD
Doctor
Doctoral School, Poznan University of Medical Sciences
Poznan, Wielkopolskie, Poland
Mohammad Tabbalat, n/a
Medical Student
Jordan University Science and Technology
Irbid, Irbid, Jordan
Omar Ta’ani, MD
Resident Doctor
Alleghany Health
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Yazan Nagi, MD
Resident Doctor
SUNY Downstate
Brooklyn, New York, United States
This study aimed to assess perceptions of people with disabilities among various demographic groups in Jordan, using items from the Attitudes Towards Disabled Persons (ATDP) scale. Understanding these perceptions is crucial for developing targeted policies and interventions.
Design:
Cross-sectional data were collected via an electronically distributed survey on social media platforms, with 908 full responses obtained and analyzed using PQStat Software v.1.8.2.238. Normality was checked using the Shapiro-Wilk test. Normally distributed data were reported as mean ± standard deviation (SD), while non-normal data were reported as median and interquartile range (IQR). Differences in perceptions between males and females were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U and chi-squared tests. The Kruskal-Wallis test with post-hoc Dunn-Bonferroni adjustment was used to evaluate the relationship between perceptions and employment status. A significance threshold of p < 0.05 was set for all analyses.
Results:
The average age of participants was 31.4 ± 13.79 years, with females comprising 55.6% of the sample. Most participants were students (49.8%), followed by employed (31.6%), unemployed (11.2%), and retired individuals (7.4%). No significant differences were observed in perceptions between males and females. However, retired individuals were more likely to agree with the statement that the government should be responsible for supporting people with disabilities compared to unemployed individuals (p = 0.019). Additionally, employed individuals were more likely to disagree with the idea of special communities for people with disabilities to live and work in compared to students (p = 0.03). No significant relationship was found between age and perceptions.
Conclusions:
While gender did not influence perceptions regarding disabilities, employment status was significantly associated with specific attitudes. These findings highlight the need for further research to explore the role of occupational context in shaping perceptions of people with disabilities.
