The structure of attitudes toward persons with disabilities: An Israeli validation of Siller's Disability Factor Scales-General (DFS-G)

The present study investigated the transcultural generalizability of Siller's Disability Factor Scales-General (DFS-G)(Siller, Ferguson et al., 1967). 658 Jewish Israeli students filled out a Hebrew translation of the 69 item DFS-G. Factor analysis of the responses of these subjects provided support for the replicability of a major part of the structure of the DFS-G. In addition, one subsample of these subjects was administered Edwards' Social Desirability Scale while another subsample responded to the Marlowe - Crowne Social Desirability Scale. Correlations between some of the scales of the DFS-G and the two measures of social desirability were discussed as possible evidence for the claim that attitudes toward disability may reflect defenses against intrapersonal and interpersonal pressures.