Attitudes Towards People with Disabilities: The Turkish Version of the Disability Attitudes in Health Care Scale.

RESEARCH evaluation; MEDICAL students; RESEARCH methodology evaluation; CRONBACH'S alpha; PEARSON correlation (Statistics); SEX distribution; FACTOR analysis; STUDENT attitudes; PEOPLE with disabilities; ATTITUDES toward disabilities

This study aimed to carry out the Turkish adaptation of the Disability Attitudes in Health Care Scale (DAHC). A total of 283 medical students were recruited. Data was collected using a sociodemographic information form, the Turkish version of the DAHC, and the Disability Attitudes Scale (DAS). Reliability and validity of the DAHC was estimated using Cronbach's alpha, item-total correlations, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, and Pearson correlation. Examination of item-total correlations pertaining to the DAHC led to the exclusion of two items. Exploratory factor analysis of the 15-item Turkish DAHC yielded a two-factor solution. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the existence of two related factors, namely Burden and Inclusion. Internal consistency of the DAHC was deemed satisfactory. Total DAHC score had a moderate positive correlation with the DAS, providing evidence for criterion validity. Females held more positive attitudes compared to males. It was concluded that the Turkish version of the DAHC is a valid and reliable measure which can be used for evaluating attitudes towards people with disabilities in healthcare professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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