This study explored the relative importance of sex, age, and two measures of anxiety, general and death anxieties, in predicting attitudes of 22 graduate students in counselor education toward disabled individuals. Although none of the variables even in combination were systematically associated with the attitudinal measure, fear of death was the single most important predictor.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
CheslerM. A.Ethnocentrism and attitudes toward the physically disabled. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1965, 2, 877–882.
2.
CollettL.LesterD.The fear of death and the fear of dying. Journal of Psychology, 1969, 72, 179–181.
3.
EndresJ. E.Fear of death and attitudinal dispositions toward physical disability. Dissertation Abstracts International, 1979, 39, 7161A. (University Microfilms No. 79–11825)
4.
EnglishR. W.Correlates of stigma towards physically disabled persons. Rehabilitation Research and Practice Review, 1971, 2, 1–17.
5.
FeifelH.The meaning of death in American society. In GreenB. R.IrishD. P. (Eds.), Death education: preparation for living. Cambridge, MA: Schenkman, 1971. Pp. 3–11.
6.
FishD. E.Counselor effectiveness: relationship to death anxiety and attitudes toward disabled persons. Dissertation Abstracts International, 1981, 42, 1488A. (University Microfilms No. 81–21927)
7.
HullC. H.NieN. H. (Ed.) SPSS Update 7–9. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1981.
8.
KriegerG. W.Loss and grief in rehabilitation counseling of the severely traumatically disabled, Journal of Applied Rehabilitation Counseling, 1977, 7, 223–227.
9.
LesterD.The Collett-Lester Fear of Death Scale: a manual. Pomona, NJ: Stockton State College, 1974.
10.
LevitonD.The role of the schools in providing death education. In GreenB. R.IrishD. P. (Eds.), Death education: preparation for living. Cambridge, MA: Schenkman, 1971. Pp. 29–42.
MuellerM. L.Death education and death fear reduction. Education, 1976, 97, 145–148.
13.
RyanK. M.Developmental differences in reactions to the physically disabled. Human Development, 1981, 24, 240–256.
14.
SillerJ.ChipmanA.FergusonL. T.VannD. H.Studies in reactions to disability: XI. Attitudes of the non-disabled toward the physically disabled. New York, NY: University School of Education, 1967.
15.
TaylorJ. A.A personality scale of manifest anxiety. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1953, 48, 285–290.
16.
YukerH. E.BlockJ. R.CampbellW. J.A scale to measure attitudes toward disabled persons. Human Resources Foundation, Study No. 5, Albertson, New York, 1960.