Although the relationship between attitudes, knowledge and behaviour is complex and the subject of ongoing research, among the main barriers that prevent people with disabilities from seeking help and support are negative attitudes from society in general and from health professionals in particular. In addition, lack of knowledge, misconceptions about disability and lack of experience in communicating with and treating people with disabilities are often cited as key issues contributing to negative attitudes among health professionals. Although the attitudes of healthcare providers towards people with disabilities are important, in Saudi Arabia, where people with disabilities constitute 5.1% of the total population of 32,175,224, only a few studies have investigated this question, i.e., the attitudes of healthcare providers from different professions towards people with disabilities.

We conducted a cross-sectional study among n = 1033 healthcare providers from the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia using the Attitudes Towards Disability Scale (ATDP Form 0). The ATDP Form 0 is a unidimensional scale that asks individuals to rate their agreement with each of 20 statements using a 6-point Likert-type scale, where higher scores indicate more tolerant attitudes towards people with disabilities, whereas lower scores reflect discriminatory or rejecting attitudes.

The survey results revealed somewhat negative attitudes towards people with disabilities among healthcare providers. The mean ATDP score for respondents in this study was 58.0300 (p=0.000), slightly below the normative score of 60 for Form 0 presented by Yucker in 1970. These patterns were also reflected in earlier studies among Pakistani and Nepalese healthcare providers. This consistency of evidence suggests that recognizing, understanding, and ultimately addressing the factors that lead to negative attitudes towards people with disabilities should be considered a critical goal for governments and health organizations, including Saudi Arabia. For example, some factors related to healthcare providers’ attitudes towards people with disabilities are potentially modifiable (e.g. knowledge and experience); educational interventions can increase their knowledge, while regular contact can potentially influence their attitudes.

As part of our study, we also looked at specific factors that may influence attitudes towards disability. Thus, the influence of age on attitudes towards people with disabilities has been the subject of ongoing debate. We found that younger age was associated with significantly more positive attitudes compared to older age. Regarding marital status, we did not find sufficient evidence that marital status significantly affects attitudes towards people with disabilities. However, this study found that the number of children was significantly associated with attitudes towards people with disabilities. Thus, participants with three or more children had significantly less positive attitudes compared to those without children.

In examining demographic data for the ATDP survey, we analyzed attitudes between Saudis and non-Saudis. The results showed that Saudi women and men healthcare providers without children had more positive attitudes towards people with disabilities compared to those with children. A comparison of Saudi and non-Saudi healthcare providers showed that Saudi women and men without children had more positive attitudes towards people with disabilities compared to non-Saudi women and men.

It is well known that people with disabilities are more likely to seek healthcare and support compared to the general population. Therefore, the attitudes of healthcare providers towards people with disabilities are of great importance. We found that overall, healthcare providers had somewhat negative attitudes according to the ATDP scale. However, younger respondents and those without children had more positive attitudes. To further develop positive attitudes of healthcare providers towards people with disabilities in Saudi Arabia, it is recommended to implement more educational programs to raise awareness about people with disabilities, especially among healthcare providers aged 24–25, non-Saudi nationals, or those with more than two children.