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The Jordanian Population’s Knowledge, Attitudes, and Willingness to Help People with Autism: A Cross-Sectional Study

OBJECTIVE: To assess the knowledge and attitudes of the general public in Jordan towards autism. In addition, we aimed to assess their awareness of various treatment options for autism, and their attentiveness and willingness to assist. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Jordan for t...

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Autores principales: Abuhamdah, Sawsan M A, Naser, Abdallah Y, Al Awawdeh, Safaa
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Dove 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10162093/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37153359
http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/JMDH.S407639
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author Abuhamdah, Sawsan M A
Naser, Abdallah Y
Al Awawdeh, Safaa
author_facet Abuhamdah, Sawsan M A
Naser, Abdallah Y
Al Awawdeh, Safaa
author_sort Abuhamdah, Sawsan M A
collection PubMed
description OBJECTIVE: To assess the knowledge and attitudes of the general public in Jordan towards autism. In addition, we aimed to assess their awareness of various treatment options for autism, and their attentiveness and willingness to assist. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Jordan for the period between April and May 2022 using an online questionnaire developed based on a literature review. A total of 833 individuals in Amman city completed the questionnaires assessing participant demographics, knowledge of and attitude towards ADS, awareness of management options, perception, and ability to help. Using logistic regression, the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for those who are more likely to be informed about autism were determined. RESULTS: The participants’ overall understanding of autism spectrum disorder was poor, with a mean score of 6.2 (SD: 3.1) out of 17, or 36.5%. The participants showed a moderately positive attitude towards autism, with an average agreement of 60.9% for government support for ADS children. The items about management options auditory integration training therapy had the highest level (50.1%). Additionally, the participants showed a moderate to high level of attention and ability to help people with autism. The majority confirmed that they see the need to implement changes in public facilities to meet the needs of autistic patients (71.8%). When compared to others, females, aged below 30, single, with family income less than 500 JD, holding a bachelor’s degree, and working outside the healthcare field had a higher likelihood of knowing more about the autism spectrum condition (p ≤ 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our research illustrates the lack of awareness and knowledge among the Jordanian population regarding autism. To fill this gap, educational awareness programs should be conducted to promote Jordanian knowledge regarding autism and find ways in which communities, organisations, and governments can support so as to allow for early diagnoses and an appropriate treatment plan and therapy for autistic children.
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spelling pubmed-101620932023-05-06 The Jordanian Population’s Knowledge, Attitudes, and Willingness to Help People with Autism: A Cross-Sectional Study Abuhamdah, Sawsan M A Naser, Abdallah Y Al Awawdeh, Safaa J Multidiscip Healthc Original Research OBJECTIVE: To assess the knowledge and attitudes of the general public in Jordan towards autism. In addition, we aimed to assess their awareness of various treatment options for autism, and their attentiveness and willingness to assist. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Jordan for the period between April and May 2022 using an online questionnaire developed based on a literature review. A total of 833 individuals in Amman city completed the questionnaires assessing participant demographics, knowledge of and attitude towards ADS, awareness of management options, perception, and ability to help. Using logistic regression, the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for those who are more likely to be informed about autism were determined. RESULTS: The participants’ overall understanding of autism spectrum disorder was poor, with a mean score of 6.2 (SD: 3.1) out of 17, or 36.5%. The participants showed a moderately positive attitude towards autism, with an average agreement of 60.9% for government support for ADS children. The items about management options auditory integration training therapy had the highest level (50.1%). Additionally, the participants showed a moderate to high level of attention and ability to help people with autism. The majority confirmed that they see the need to implement changes in public facilities to meet the needs of autistic patients (71.8%). When compared to others, females, aged below 30, single, with family income less than 500 JD, holding a bachelor’s degree, and working outside the healthcare field had a higher likelihood of knowing more about the autism spectrum condition (p ≤ 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our research illustrates the lack of awareness and knowledge among the Jordanian population regarding autism. To fill this gap, educational awareness programs should be conducted to promote Jordanian knowledge regarding autism and find ways in which communities, organisations, and governments can support so as to allow for early diagnoses and an appropriate treatment plan and therapy for autistic children. Dove 2023-05-01 /pmc/articles/PMC10162093/ /pubmed/37153359 http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/JMDH.S407639 Text en © 2023 Abuhamdah et al. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution – Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) ). By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms (https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php).
spellingShingle Original Research
Abuhamdah, Sawsan M A
Naser, Abdallah Y
Al Awawdeh, Safaa
The Jordanian Population’s Knowledge, Attitudes, and Willingness to Help People with Autism: A Cross-Sectional Study
title The Jordanian Population’s Knowledge, Attitudes, and Willingness to Help People with Autism: A Cross-Sectional Study
title_full The Jordanian Population’s Knowledge, Attitudes, and Willingness to Help People with Autism: A Cross-Sectional Study
title_fullStr The Jordanian Population’s Knowledge, Attitudes, and Willingness to Help People with Autism: A Cross-Sectional Study
title_full_unstemmed The Jordanian Population’s Knowledge, Attitudes, and Willingness to Help People with Autism: A Cross-Sectional Study
title_short The Jordanian Population’s Knowledge, Attitudes, and Willingness to Help People with Autism: A Cross-Sectional Study
title_sort jordanian population’s knowledge, attitudes, and willingness to help people with autism: a cross-sectional study
topic Original Research
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10162093/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37153359
http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/JMDH.S407639
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