ATTITUDES OF PERSONS WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITIES TOWARDS PHYSIOTHERAPY DIRE DAWA, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

This study examined attitudes towards physiotherapy treatment among persons with physical disabilities in the Dire Dawa Administration, Ethiopia. Using a concurrent mixed-methods design, the research assessed attitudes across four dimensions cognitive, affective, behavioral, and demographic and their relationship with perceptions of treatment efficacy. A purposive sampling technique was used to select 300 participants, from whom 290 completed questionnaires were obtained, yielding a 96.7% response rate. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation, and multiple linear regression in SPSS (Version 26), while qualitative data provided contextual depth. The sample was predominantly male (64.8%), aged 35–45 years (59.7%), and held a first-degree education (76.2%). Descriptive results revealed moderate-to-high positive attitudes across most dimensions, though behavioral engagement (e.g., regular session attendance, home exercise compliance) scored relatively lower. Notably, the demographic dimension, which captured socio-cultural influences, scored highest (mean ≈ 3.87), indicating strong community and cultural influences on treatment-seeking behavior. Correlation analysis showed significant positive relationships (p < 0.01) between all attitude dimensions and overall perception of physiotherapy treatment, with the strongest association observed between the demographic dimension and treatment perception (r = 0.788). Regression analysis confirmed that all four attitude dimensions significantly predicted perceptions of physiotherapy treatment, accounting for 69.5% of the variance (R² = 0.695, p < 0.001). The demographic dimension emerged as the strongest predictor (β = 0.529, p < 0.001), followed by behavioral (β = 0.266, p < 0.001), affective (β = 0.155, p < 0.001), and cognitive dimensions (β = 0.071, p = 0.037). The model met all necessary assumptions normality, linearity, homoscedasticity, and absence of multicollinearity. The findings underscore that socio-cultural and community factors are critical in shaping attitudes and treatment engagement. The study recommends that physiotherapy programs in similar contexts integrate community awareness initiatives and culturally sensitive approaches to enhance service utilization and outcomes for persons with physical disabilities