Attitudes Toward Persons With Mental Retardation Examiner in Bahir Dar Town
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Date
2004-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This study aimed al invesligating Ihe allitudes of residents of Bahir Dar town toward persons with
menIal retardation.
The subjects of the study included 300 participants (150 men and 150 women), 8 religious leaders and
elders and 6 parents of children with mental retardation, selected using systematic, pW'lJosive,
available and simple random sampling techniques. Questionnaire, focus-group discussions and
observations were used to gather data; percentage, t-test and one-way analysis of variance were used
10 analyze the data.
Results show that men hold mare positive allitudes toward mental retardation than women though at
cognitive level. The respondent 's allitudes toward persons with mental retardation also vOlY by their
educational status. Hence, the higher the respondents educational status, the more positive their
allitudes toward Mental Retardation.
Results also revealed that the participants of the sll/dy have misconceptions and wrong beliefs about
the nature and characteristics of mental retardation and about persons with mental retardation. For
instance, the majority of the sample population believed mental retardation as a kind of curable
disease and persons with mental retardation as destructive, inallentive, unji-iendly, etc. They also
believed that religious, cultural and supernatural factors as causes of mental retardation. Further
1II0re they do have a pessimistic view of their roles and possibililies to improve the conditions of
persons with mental retardation. Results more over depicted that the participants have no future
expectations about persons with mental retardation concel'l7ing their education and self-enhancing
activities through cOlllmunicating and interacting with others. Religion, culture (values and beliefs)
and labels and names given to the disability were found to have a significant effect in forming and
governing people's atliludes toward persons wilh menIal retardation.
The study concluded that people have negative allitudes towards lIIental retardation due to lack of
knowledge and understanding about the nature and characteristics as well as the causes of mental
retardation.
The implication of the study is that professionals should focus on raising the awareness of people in
the community in general and parents of children with lIIental retardation in particular about the
disability through providing informat ion on the causes, the nature and characteristics of Mental
Retardation so they know the role they can play to help persons with the disability.
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Keywords
Mental Retardation Examiner