Ensuring the psychological safety of persons with disabilities, taking into account gender and age differences

Abstract

The relevance of the research is related to the fact that the psychological safety of persons with disabilities is the leading characteristic that determines its developmental nature. The research objective was to study students’ opinions about the capabilities and abilities of citizens with disabilities and to form a tolerant attitude towards them, and hence their social and psychological safety. The research was carried out on the basis of the Voronezh State Industrial and Humanitarian College (Russian Federation), in which 1,000 people took part (among them 38% were boys and 62% were girls). Methods: survey, Spearman correlation analysis, principal component analysis, and semantic analysis. At the stage of the ascertaining experiment, the problem of the psychological safety of persons with disabilities is partially covered. The analysis of experimental data obtained from the survey showed that at the time of the survey, 51.5% of the respondents by gender (23% – men, 28.5% – women) treated persons with disabilities as ordinary, recognising their skills, dignity, and abilities. The results of the factor analysis revealed the main factor "tolerant attitude towards persons with disabilities", which does not depend on age, gender, and place of residence. As a rule, this attitude is formed as a result of communication with them. All respondents intend to "treat persons with disabilities as people with (special) needs, not with disabilities, and create all conditions for their psychological and social safety".