Personal Value Preferences and Attitudes toward People with Disabilities: People Living with HIV, Intellectual Disability, and Severe Mental Illness
On 12 of September on scientific seminar "Culture matters", Eugene Tartakovsky, Lecturer of School Social Work in Tel-Aviv University, Israel, made a presentation on following topic: " Personal Value Preferences and Attitudes toward People with Disabilities: People Living with HIV, Intellectual Disability, and Severe Mental Illness".
In this presentation Eugene Tartakovsky summarized findings of two studies, which goal was to investigate the connection between personal value preferences and attitudes toward people with disabilities.
The first study was conducted among physicians and nurses working with people with HIV in Kazakhstan. About 34 million people are living with HIV in the world, approximately 8 million are receiving medical treatment. In Russia, Ukraine, and Central Asia Republics of the FSU the HIV epidemic continues, while in other countries in the world number of HIV-positive people doesn't increase anymore. Differently from what most people think, HIV is not a fatal disease. Negative reactions to HIV/AIDS in the general population are widespread. Negative reactions of medics to people living with HIV/AIDS may result in poor patient management, denial or postponement of their required treatment, care, and support, and compromised quality of care. Specifics of Kazakhstan: between 2005-2007, 139 children, 13 of their mothers, and two of their fathers were diagnosed as HIV positive in the Chimkent Region in Southern Kazakhstan, and the reason was in poor quality of blood for transfusion. Findings of this study in general confirmed main hypothesis that the individual values may predict attitudes of medical staff to patients. Benevolence values cause more empathic and caring for their patients, while Power and Tradition values are inconsistent with it.
The second study was conducted among staff members working in community services for people with intellectual disability and severe mental illness in Israel. Results of both studies demonstrated that the professionals’ value preferences were related to their attitudes towards people with disabilities. Moreover, personal value preferences were related to the sense of burnout among professionals working with people with disabilities.
Eugene Tartakovsky consider that measuring value priorities may be obtained for selection and training of professionals working with people with disabilities.
Personal Value Preferences and Attitudes toward People with Disabilities: People Living with HIV, Intellectual Disability, and Severe Mental Illness".