Perceptions of positive attitudes toward people with spinal cord injury.

This study identified differences in perceptions of positive attitudes toward persons with spinal cord injury (SCI). The four groups surveyed included 35 people with SCI, 27 rehabilitation workers from an acute spinal rehabilitation unit, 16 rehabilitation workers from an out-patient hospital rehabilitation unit and 37 people from the general population. Participants completed the Modified Issues in Disability Scale-Transitional Version. The people with SCI were considered the judges of what a positive attitude consisted of and scored higher on the measure than all other groups. The results showed that the acute spinal rehabilitation workers and the general population group differed significantly from the people with SCI in their perceptions of positive attitudes, whereas the out-patient hospital rehabilitation workers did not. Age and ethnic identity were significantly related to perceptions of attitudes, with younger adults and European New Zealanders being more aware of positive attitudes than older adults. Maori New Zealanders and Pacific Islanders. Professionally trained rehabilitation workers had a greater awareness than in-service trained workers of what constituted a positive attitude towards people with SCI. However, gender and amount of contact with people with disabilities were not related to perceptions of positive attitudes.