ATTITUDES TOWARD MENTAL RETARDATION: A COMMUNITY STUDY

The primary purpose of this paper was to understand the nature of acceptance of retarded persons in society. The development of community services along with normalization and deinstitutionalization of retarded persons was secondarily of importance. A primary research question for the study was stated as follows: "What are the characteristics of retarded persons which most directly relate to community residents' acceptance of retarded persons?".;The three contrived characteristics of retarded persons in the instruments (age, sex, and level of retardation) varied in relation to the three dimensions of attitudes. Attitudes were generally positive toward retarded persons. In all three dimensions there was significantly more acceptance of mildly retarded persons than moderately retarded persons, but favorable attitudes (above the mean score of 2.50 on the four-point acceptance scale) were also found for moderately retarded persons. Within the social distance dimension, the findings indicated that older retarded persons are accepted significantly more than young retarded persons in social relationships in the community. This unexpected finding was contradictory to other studies which found younger mentally retarded persons more acceptable.;Community integration was seen by respondents as more feasible with less severely retarded persons. Regardless of level, acceptance seemed to be based on types of social relationships expected of retarded persons within the items of the instrument. . . . (Author's abstract exceeds stipulated maximum length. Discontinued here with permission of school.) UMI.;The study in Idaho manipulated age, sex, and level of retardation as characteristics of retarded persons which subjects were asked to consider in a printed questionnaire. Three types of attitude dimensions were included and measured in statements about retarded persons. Respondents were asked to agree or disagree with the statements. The three attitude dimensions were concerned with (1) the integration of retarded persons into communities, (2) the social distance with retarded persons, and (3) the private rights of retarded persons. Hypotheses were tested in regard to the relative importance of these three dimensions of attitudes in relation to the characteristics of retarded persons as described.