Background and objective:

Currently, the conception of disability considers the physical characteristics of the person in their interaction with the environment. This understanding makes it necessary for the development of attitudinal studies of the population that facilitate the identification of barriers that limit the exercise of people with disabilities’ rights in equal opportunities in the professional field. The main objective of the study was the design, construction, and validation of an instrument to assess attitudes towards disability in the Armed Forces.

Method:

204 soldiers of different positions and scales participated in the study, where 11.76 % were women and 88.24 % were men. The study was divided into two phases. In the first phase, the scale was constructed and evaluated by a group of experts. The concordance between them was also analyzed in order to evaluate the validity of the content of the questionnaire. In a second phase, the psychometric qualities of reliability and validity (construct and concurrent) of the scale were evaluated.

Results:

The results obtained reflect appropriate psychometric properties adjusted to the instrument. The reliability analysis, shows that both, the scale as a whole (.87), and the two subscales that make it up(.88 and .89), present adequate internal consistency. In the exploratory and confirmatory analyses performed, it is obtained a model with a two-factor solution. Its goodness-of-fit data (NFI = 0.94, GFI = 0.94, CFI = .97, RMSEA = .06 (90 % CI = .048 - .070), standardized RMR = .091) guarantee adequate construct validity. Likewise, an appropriate concurrent validity is observed (.76; p<.01).

Conclusions:

In conclusion, the use of the instrument for the evaluation of attitudes towards disability in the Armed Forces is justified and optimal.