Mengesha Assefa Kebad, Beyna Alemante Tafese, Kidanu Gemtew Enyew, Misker Melshew Fenta, Ayele Habtamu Semagne
Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.
Adv Med. 2024 Oct 28;2024:9917927. doi: 10.1155/2024/9917927. eCollection 2024.
The neurodevelopmental conditions known as autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) start in early childhood and last the entirety of a person's life. They are characterized by distorted social interaction, difficulties communicating, and repetitive, stereotypical behavior. This study sought to evaluate general practitioners (GPs)' attitudes and knowledge of ASDs and related factors at Gondar University Hospital. An institutional-based cross-sectional study design was used. Using a convenience-sample method, three-hundred sixty individuals were chosen for this study. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. The GPs who took part in this survey were characterized by descriptive statistics. The relationship between the dependent variables (knowledge and attitude) and the sociodemographic characteristics was examined using an independent two-sample -test and Pearson correlation analysis. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Version 25 was used for all data analyses. In this study, the GPs had an average age of 31.82 years, with an average of 18 years since graduation and 16 years of practice. Participants' average overall knowledge and attitude scores on autism were 15.83 (SD = 3.27) and 29.54 (SD = 3.21), respectively, both falling within the moderate range. Using an independent -test, we found a significant difference ( < 0.001) between the attitudes of male and female GPs regarding autism. The study also identified weakly significant correlations between GPs' age and their attitudes toward autism ( = 0.271, < 0.001) and between years of practice and attitudes ( = 0.105, =0.046). However, no significant correlations emerged between GPs' knowledge and their age, years since graduation, or years of practice ( = 0.069, =0.194; = 0.069, =0.193; and = -0.053, =0.312, respectively). In addition, we observed a weakly significant association ( = 0.004, < 0.001) between GPs' knowledge and their attitudes about autism. Based on their total scores, the participants had a moderate level of knowledge and attitudes toward autism. There was a favorable correlation found between the study subjects' attitudes regarding autism and their age, as well as their practice year. Furthermore, a clear correlation was observed between GPs' attitudes and their understanding of autism.
被称为自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的神经发育疾病始于幼儿期，并伴随人的一生。其特征是社交互动扭曲、沟通困难以及重复、刻板的行为。本研究旨在评估贡德尔大学医院全科医生（GP）对ASD的态度、知识及相关因素。采用了基于机构的横断面研究设计。使用便利抽样法，选取了360人参与本研究。通过自填式问卷收集数据。对参与调查的全科医生进行描述性统计。使用独立双样本t检验和Pearson相关分析来检验因变量（知识和态度）与社会人口学特征之间的关系。所有数据分析均使用社会科学统计软件包第25版。在本研究中，全科医生的平均年龄为31.82岁，平均毕业18年，从业16年。参与者在自闭症方面的平均总体知识和态度得分分别为15.83（标准差 = 3.27）和29.54（标准差 = 3.21），均处于中等范围。通过独立t检验，我们发现男、女全科医生对自闭症的态度存在显著差异（P < 0.001）。该研究还发现全科医生的年龄与其对自闭症的态度之间存在弱显著相关性（r = 0.271，P < 0.001），以及从业年限与态度之间存在弱显著相关性（r = 0.105，P = 0.046）。然而，全科医生的知识与他们的年龄、毕业年限或从业年限之间未出现显著相关性（分别为r = 0.069，P = 0.194；r = 0.069，P = 0.193；以及r = -0.053，P = 0.312）。此外，我们观察到全科医生的知识与其对自闭症的态度之间存在弱显著关联（r = 0.004，P < 0.001）。根据总分，参与者对自闭症的知识和态度处于中等水平。研究对象对自闭症的态度与其年龄以及从业年限之间存在良好的相关性。此外，观察到全科医生的态度与他们对自闭症的理解之间存在明显的相关性。
