Students’ Attitudes Toward Wheelchair Users in Ukraine, Poland, Czech Republic, and Slovakia: A Cross‑Sectional Study During Wartime and Social Change

Abstract

Background

Wheelchair users face significant daily challenges, many of which are the result of physical, social, and attitudinal barriers in society rather than their impairment alone. Public attitudes toward this group are shaped by personal experience, awareness, and the availability of accessible infrastructure. In Ukraine, the number of people with disabilities has increased due to the ongoing war, highlighting the relevance of student perspectives in this context.

Objective

To compare the attitudes of students from Ukraine and the Visegrad Group (V4) countries—Poland, Czech Republic, and Slovakia—toward wheelchair users.

Materials and Methods

In 2024, a total of 997 students from Poland, 1222 from the Czech Republic, 918 from Slovakia, and 986 from Ukraine participated in a survey using the standardized Multidimensional Attitudes Scale Toward Persons With Disabilities (MAS). Sampling was non-random and based on convenience, which limits the representativeness of the findings.

Results

Cognitive and behavioral components of attitudes were generally stable and comparable across all four groups. However, significant differences were observed in the emotional subscale, with Ukrainian students demonstrating more positive attitudes. The median total MAS score was lower (indicating more favorable attitudes) for Ukrainian students (60) compared to Poland, Slovakia (68), and the Czech Republic (71).

Conclusions

Ukrainian students reported more positive emotional attitudes toward wheelchair users compared to peers from Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. These results highlight the influence of social context on attitudes toward people with disabilities.

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MULTIDIMENSIONAL ATTITUDES SCALE TOWARD PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES: FACTOR AND EXPLORATORY ANALYSIS FOR A UKRAINIAN VERSION (MAS-UA)

ABSTRACT
Background: Currently, a topical area of research is the multidimensional approach to both reliable tools and professional interventions aimed at improving the attitudes of Ukrainian society toward people with disabilities in the context of the armed conflict in Ukraine.
Aim of the study: The purpose of this study was to study the factor structure of the Multidimensional Attitudes Scale Toward Persons with Disabilities (MAS) questionnaire on a sample of Ukrainian students to create an adaptation of the original version (MAS-UA).
Material and methods: The main authors of the questionnaire gave their consent for the adaptation. The Ukrainian version of the MAS was developed using the method of back translation from the original language. The proposed multi-factor structure of the MAS-UA was tested in an anonymous online study of 1619 Ukrainian students.

Results: The factor analysis and a parallel exploratory factor analysis resulted in a 5-factor structure for the MAS-UA (the classic domains – cognitive, affective, and behavioral – and two additional domains, negative effects and items concentrated in the factors “Calm” and “Desire to communicate”). These five factors yielded 62.6% of the total variance score.
Conclusions: The MAS-UA was developed and presented as a reliable instrument for examining attitudes toward people with physical disabilities. The instrument can be used for the initial assessment when developing prevention and educational programs in the field of social policy, as well as to evaluate their effectiveness. Studies using the adapted version of the scale (MAS-UA) will allow the comparison of results from other countries where other language versions are used.
Keywords: Ukrainian students, MAS questionnaire, multidimensional attitudes, disability, measurement
scale, factor analysis

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