Hemşirelik Öğrencilerinin Engelli Bireylere Yönelik Algıları ve Tutumlarını Etkileyen Faktörler

Abstract Factors Affecting Nursing Students’ Perceptions and Attitudes Toward Individuals with Disabilities Objective: This study aimed to determine the levels of nursing students’ attitudes and perceptions toward individuals with disabilities and the factors influencing them. Methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with nursing students enrolled at a public university located in western Turkey during the 2023–2024 fall/spring academic year. The research was completed with 377 students who agreed to participate. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using the Personal Information Form, the Multidimensional Attitudes Scale Toward Persons with Disabilities, and the Perception Toward Individuals with Disabilities Scale. Descriptive statistics, the Mann–Whitney U test, and the Kruskal–Wallis test were used for data analysis. Results: Among the participants, 40.3% were between 20–21 years old, and 38.7% were first-year students. It was found that 77.5% of the participants did not have a person with a disability in their close environment, and 92.6% reported that there was no individual with a disability in their department. The mean score on the Attitude Scale was 106.79± 15.43, indicating a moderately positive attitude toward individuals with disabilities. On the Perception Scale, students scored at a moderate–high level in the individual and social subdimensions, a high level in the acceptance subdimension, and a moderate level in the awareness subdimension. The total mean score was 67.30 ± 10.06, showing a moderate–high level of perception. Conclusion: It was determined that nursing students’ multidimensional attitudes and perceptions toward individuals with disabilities were at a moderate level. It was determined that among the sociodemographic variables, gender was associated with attitudes toward individuals with disabilities, and maternal employment status was found to affect perceptions toward individuals with disabilities. No significant relationship was found between the other sociodemographic variables and the attitude and perception scales. Increasing nursing students’ contact with individuals with disabilities in both theoretical courses and clinical practice may contribute to improving their attitudes and perceptions. Keywords: Disabled Persons, Attitude, Perception, Nursing Students