How the propensity to care for others informs behavioural tendencies toward people with disabilities

The Caregiving Behavioural System plays a central role in shaping relational functioning across the lifespan, as it regulates proximity and support in response to others' needs. Four caregiving profiles– functional, avoidant, anxious/intrusive, and problematic – can be identified based on individuals’ levels of hyperactivation and deactivation, using the thresholds recently developed for the Caregiving System Scale (CSS). The four caregiving profiles may be relevant for understanding how individuals think, feel, and act in interactions with people perceived as vulnerable, and may also carry important clinical implications. This study explored whether caregiving profiles, as defined by the validated thresholds, are associated with distinct behavioural attitudes toward individuals with disabilities, thus providing insight into the social implications of caregiving dynamics. Participants were 637 adults (Mage = 39.6, SD = 15.2; range: 18–92), 50.4% women. Caregiving tendencies were assessed using the CSS, and participants were grouped into the four profiles. Behavioural attitudes toward people with disabilities were measured using an extended version (developed by the authors) of the Multidimensional Attitudes Scale Toward Persons with Disabilities, which included three behavioural subscales: avoidance, intrusiveness, and positive engagement. Three one-way ANOVAs were conducted to assess differences in these behavioural intentions across caregiving profiles. Observed behavioural patterns appear consistent with their conceptualisation: the avoidant profile was associated with greater withdrawal intentions, the anxious/intrusive profile with a greater propensity for boundary-crossing, and the problematic profile with elevated dysfunction across all three behavioural domains. In line with theoretical expectations, the functional profile was associated with more behavioural intentions reflecting openness and attuned engagement with the person with a disability. Findings suggest that individual differences in the propensity to care for others meaningfully influence behavioural tendencies toward people with disabilities. The results of this study firstly contribute to supporting the functional validity of the proposed thresholds of the CSS. Secondly, they suggest that the Caregiving Behavioural System may offer a valuable framework for understanding the relational dynamics underpinning social responses to disability, with optimal caregiving activation being associated with more positive attitudes. These insights may inform future interventions aimed at promoting inclusive and supportive attitudes across diverse social contexts.