An unpopular patient--the mentally retarded child

To better evaluate the health care provided mentally retarded children, a study was conducted to determine the attitudes and behavior of nursing personnel toward these children. Since inconsistencies between expressed attitudes and subsequent behavioral descriptions are common, this study utilized unobtrusive behavioral observations followed by the administration of a questionnaire. The instrument elicited expressions of attitudes and behaviors of nursing personnel. The results demonstrated that nursing personnel expressed more neutral or negative attitudes and behavior toward mentally retarded children than toward "normal" children, and that their observed behavior was very different from their expressed behavior.