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Factors Determining the Perceptions and Attitudes of People with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Russia
Over the past several decades, the topic of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has become more widely discussed in society. This is not solely due to an actual increase in the number of cases but largely reflects improved diagnostic criteria, a better understanding, and a greater awareness among professionals including psychiatrists, psychologists, and educators. In contrast, the general public tends to have limited knowledge of ASD. Many people are only vaguely familiar with the term “autism” and may perceive individuals with ASD as unusual or different. Social perceptions and attitudes toward individuals with ASD affect how they are treated in society. In Russia, topics like АSD are rarely discussed openly, resulting in limited research on the social perceptions and attitudes towards individuals with ASD. While most people are aware of ASD, the majority are not prepared for social interaction with individuals on the spectrum. A lack of knowledge and a fear of unpredictable or possibly aggressive behavior contribute to the development of stereotypical and stigmatized views, which can lead to negative attitudes and hostile behavior toward people with ASD. The main goal of this study is to understand what factors are determinants of people’s perceptions and attitudes towards people with ASD. First, we determine what perceptions there are about people with ASD. The hypothesis states that some perceptions might be based on stereotypes and/or based on the stigmatization of people with ASD. Second, we study how the social perceptions and attitudes of ordinary people (about people with ASD) might be related to characteristics such as their level of objective knowledge of ASD, interest in ASD, having experience of communicating with a person with ASD, sex, age, having children, and place of residence. The concept of social attitude to ASD is defined as a socially acquired predisposition or tendency to react or have a prejudice towards a person with ASD. This is a quantitative study; the data were collected through an online social media survey. Respondents were recruited via the social network VKontakte, and channels in the Telegram messenger. A questionnaire was distributed in communities dedicated to the topic of ASD and among other communities (dedicated to psychology, evidence-based medicine, parenting, and so on). Members of these groups may not have direct experience with ASD, but they are interested in topics related to ASD and are more likely to have different attitudes toward people with ASD. A total of 1690 respondents were invited to participate, of which 1347 people completed the survey completely. The following quotas were used during data collection: age, place of residence, sex, experience of conscious communication with a person with ASD. The data analysis methods are agglomerative hierarchical clustering of text data and confirmatory factor analysis. Four types of perception of people with ASD were found:
- “People with ASD have developmental defects”,
- “People with ASD have problems with communication and socialization”,
- “People with ASD have behavioral problems”,
- “People with ASD live in their own world”.
The study found significant factors influencing perceptions and attitudes toward individuals with ASD. Older respondents and parents are more likely to view individuals with ASD as “living in their own world”. Women tend to hold less negative attitudes toward aggressive behaviors associated with ASD. Moscow and Saint Petersburg residents slightly more often perceive people with ASD as having communication difficulties. Greater interest in ASD correlates with less judgmental attitudes, and higher objective knowledge promotes more science-based perceptions. Experience observing someone with ASD shows a weak positive association with more judgmental attitudes.