Article

AIM: To explore factors associated with students' attitudes towards their peers
with disabilities. METHOD: All 7th grade students (aged 12-13y) from 12 schools
in the Toulouse area were invited to participate (n=1509). Attitudes were
measured using the Chedoke-McMaster Attitudes Towards Children with Handicaps
(CATCH) questionnaire (affective, behavioural, cognitive, and total scores).
Personal characteristics, including KIDSCREEN quality of life scores, were
recorded. Data regarding information about disabilities received from parents and
the media and acquaintance with people with disabilities constituted the
'disability knowledge' factors. The characteristics of the schools were obtained
from the local education authority. Multivariate multilevel linear regression
analyses were conducted to explore the associations between CATCH scores and
these three groups of factors. RESULTS: Responses from 1135 students (612
females, 523 males; mean age 12y 8mo SD 7mo; age range 10y 8mo-15y) were studied
(75.2% of the students approached). Factors independently associated with more
positive attitudes were being a female, having a good quality of life, being
friends with a child with disabilities, or having received information about
disabilities from parents and the media. Presence in the school of a special
class for children with cognitive disabilities was independently associated with
more negative attitudes. INTERPRETATION: This cross-sectional study identified
different personal and environmental factors upon which interventions aimed at
improving students' attitudes towards their peers with disabilities could be
based.

Langue : ANGLAIS