The aim was analyzing attitudes of physically disabled adults aged 24 to 39 toward physically disabled people, old people and own aging. There were 242 participants (6.4% with congenital and 92.4% with acquired physical disability). Data collection involved application of the Barthel Index (4.5% were dependent to ADLs; 36.0% used orthopedic aids); a questionnaire assessing gender (65.3% women), conjugal status (47.5% married), schooling (53.3% had eight years, 35.0 % 9 to 11, 7.0% more than 11), and four 30 items /four factors DS scales (agency, cognition, social relationships and persona). Data analysis showed that they evaluated more positively the concept of physically disabled people than the concept of old people; those that were congenitally disabled or had been disabled along the last 10 years or more scored higher on perspective of personal aging than those that had recently acquired disability. Data are suggestive of the role played by self regulatory processes in managing the consequences of disability on personal and social life.
old age; aged; physically disabled; adult attitudes
