College Students and Institutionalized Elderly:

An experimental study was conducted to determine if person-to-person interaction between college students and frail and impaired elderly nursing home residents would have any effect on the college students' attitudes toward old people in general. Results indicated that, within the specific situational context of shared recreational games and activities, college student/institutionalized elderly interaction led to more positive evaluations of the aged on the part of the students. However, a comparison of treatment and control groups 12 weeks after the termination of the intergenerational recreation indicated no long-term effects on either attitudes toward, or frequency of involvement with, persons 70 years of age or older.     

Nursing home nurses' attitudes, empathy, and ideologic orientation

The purpose of the present research was to assess the empirical relationship of the psychosocial variables of empathy, attitudes, and ideological orientation toward treatment (custodial versus therapeutic). The sample consisted of 363 volunteers representing all levels of nursing personnel in seven different nursing homes. The data analysis indicated that a low level of empathy, negative attitudes toward the elderly, and a custodial orientation toward treatment were significantly positively correlated. Positive attitudes were not significantly correlated with empathy, orientation toward treatment, or negative attitudes. There were significant differences in empathy, negative attitudes, and custodial orientation toward treatment among the staff levels and nursing homes. However, positive attitudes varied significantly only among nursing homes. These data suggest directions for enhancing the ability of nursing personnel to interact therapeutically with elderly persons in nursing homes.     

Predictors of attitudes toward three target groups of elderly persons: the well, the physically ill, and patients with Alzheimer's disease

This research compared attitudes of 143 nursing home employees toward three hypothetical target groups of older adults: well elderly persons, physically ill elderly persons, and elderly persons with Alzheimer's disease. Staff provided successively less positive evaluations of physically ill elderly persons and elderly persons with Alzheimer's disease compared to well elderly persons. Age, education, and contact with grandparents differentially predicted positive evaluations toward well and physically ill older adults. Self-efficacy was a significant predictor of positive evaluations across all target groups. Findings suggest that interventions designed to increase staff members' feelings of self-efficacy may lead to more positive evaluations of elderly clients and, ultimately, improved quality of care.     

Assessing Students' Learning Needs and Attitudes: Considerations for Gerontology Curriculum Planning

ABSTRACT

The growing number of older adults with multiple healthcare needs underscores the importance of teaching gerontological content to students in healthcare fields. To effectively accomplish this educational goal, it is essential to consider students' attitudes and learning needs related to caring for elderly persons. The purpose of this study was to identify prelicensure undergraduate nursing students' (N?=?200) perceived learning needs and attitudes toward older adults. Current knowledge of gerontology and attitudes were correlated with multiple variables including comfort and confidence in caring for older persons. Students identified their desire for more information on selected topics such as supportive resources for elders and their caregivers. Students who intended to learn more about gerontological nursing chose more topics; the two most commonly chosen topics were end-of-life issues and specific disorders. The data from this study can be used to design courses and curricula related to the care of elderly persons. Similar approaches to obtain student input can be adopted in designing other gerontology curricula.     

Medical care for the elderly: attitudes of medical caregivers

Attitudes of medical caregivers toward treating the elderly were defined in reference to two aspects of quality of care: the technical and the psychosocial aspects. The correlation between these aspects was assessed using samples of first-year and third-year students, interns, and MDs who had graduated two or four years previously. Socioeconomic background and orientational characteristics were also entered in an elementary structural model predicting attitudes toward treating elderly patients. The results clearly indicated that the two aspects of attitudes toward treating elderly persons were so highly correlated that only one dimension defined these attitudes, except in the case of first-year students. Furthermore, only two orientational characteristics consistently explained these attitudes throughout the five groups, while background characteristics were excluded from the model in the graduate MD group. These results suggest that studies of the determinants of medical student attitudes toward treating the elderly should test for the number of dimensions before estimating the effect of a set of predictors.     

Undergraduate nursing students and the elderly: An assessment of attitudes in a Turkish university

At times when populations are aging and nursing services for elders are needed, gerontology as a nursing specialty is not a highly sought career choice. The purposes of this study were to assess the overall attitudes of nursing students at a Turkish university toward the elderly and to identify the effects of demographic and social factors on attitudes. Using a non-experimental design, the Turkish version of the Kogan’s Attitudes towards Old People (KAOP) Scale was given to undergraduate nursing students. Significant findings demonstrated that the older the student, the worse the attitude and that students willing to work with elders had significantly better total KAOP and better positive item scores than those not willing to work with elders. The findings support educational preparation as a major factor in shaping student attitudes. Geriatric education should be integral to nursing education to help ensure sustainability of nursing services for the elderly population.     

Predicting Third Year Medical Students' Attitudes Toward the Elderly and Treating the Old

Third year medical students (N=179) were tested on attitudes about the elderly and treating the old. Other variables such as age, sex, career preference of the students, knowledge about aging in the curriculum, experience with the elderly, and age definition of old were used to predict attitudes about the elderly and about their care. The best predictor of both attitudes was a more favorable view of geriatrics as a profession. Attitudes toward pediatrics was also a predictor. Those who selected family medicine as a career preference had more favorable attitudes about the elderly. Greater knowledge about aging was a predictor of positive attitudes toward the elderly and their care. Increasing knowledge about aging may be a practical way to shape more positive attitudes in medical students. The best way to increase knowledge may be through exposing of students to healthy elderly or those with short-term health problems rather than long-term care only. Attitudes about geriatrics also could be influenced by faculty role models who have positive attitudes about treatment of the elderly.     

Attitudes, experiences, and interest in geriatrics of first-year allopathic and osteopathic medical students

A cross-sectional survey was designed to assess interest in geriatric medicine of allopathic and osteopathic medical students and to determine whether their career interests were related to past experiences with and current attitudes toward older adults. The study was conducted at an allopathic and osteopathic medical school with 231 first-year medical students. Experiences with elderly people were measured using survey questions assessing amount and quality of experiences with grandparents, as well as experiences caring for, volunteering with, or having a paid position working with older adults. Attitudes were measured using the University of California at Los Angeles Geriatric Attitudes Scale, revised for applicability to medical students. Interest in geriatrics was measured using a 4-point scale. Overall, students expressed positive attitudes toward older adults. Past experiences, including positive relationships with older relatives ( P <.001) and experiences providing care for older adults ( P <.001), were related to more-positive attitude scores toward elderly people. Students had low interest in geriatric medicine, but those with more-positive attitudes were more likely to consider geriatrics as a career (odds ratio=8.18, P <.001). Furthermore, having prior experience caring for older persons increased interest in the field ( P =.001). No significant differences were found between allopathic and osteopathic student interest in geriatrics or attitudes toward older adults. Efforts toward increasing the pool of future geriatricians and increasing positive attitudes toward older patients could be improved by providing quality experiences caring for and interacting with older adults before medical school training.     

Medical Students' Attitudes:

Although education in the care of the elderly is widely recommended for all medical students, the specifics of this aspect of pressional education are widely variable and their effects unclear. This study evaluated the effects of a short-term interdisciplinary clinical rotation in geriatrics on medical student attitudes toward elderly patients, as well as attitudes toward non-physician health professionals. We also evaluated whether assignment to long-term care facilities as geriatrics clinical sites had a deleterious effect on attitudes of medical students taking this rotation. Our analysis demonstrated no measurable beneficial effects of the week-long geriatrics rotation on medical student attitudes toward elderly patients. The brief rotation did improve student attitudes toward the importance of non-physician health professionals in patient care; at the end of the course the students had more positive attitudes toward social workers, psychologists, and occupational therapists. Assignment to long-term care clinical sites during this geriatric curriculum had no negative effect on student attitudes toward elderly patients. This study suggets that clinical geriatrics education in long-term care settings need not adversly affect medical students' attitudes toward the elderly. Furthermore, medical students' attitudes toward health professionals caring for the elderly may be positively influenced by even a short didactic and clinical experience in geriatrics which emphasizes the interdisciplinary approach.     

ATTITUDES HELD BY BEGINNING TERTIARY NURSING STUDENTS TOWARDS ELDERLY PEOPLE: POSITIVE OUTCOMES

A survey to assess if beginning nursing students in the initial weeks of their course held negative attitudes towards elderly people was carried out in 1989 and 1990. A total of 290 respondents showed that positive attitudes were held. Contrary to expectations, measures of association with elderly people on a regular versus non-regular basis had little influence on whether attitudes were positive or negative. The implications of fostering positive attitudes and the educational needs of undergraduate nursing students are briefly discussed.     

Evaluating the effectiveness of a Senior Mentor Program: the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine

At the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine, we developed a voluntary senior-mentor program, the Senior Teacher Educator Partnership (STEP), for first- and second-year medical students. Using qualitative research methods, we examined the impact of STEP on medical students' attitudes and then assessed the congruence of what is learned through STEP with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to provide care to the elderly patient. STEP was found to be a successful strategy for teaching themes of recognizing the elderly within an ecological context, enhancing sympathy and empathy, emphasizing respect for elderly persons, and gaining an appreciation that aging is an individualized process. New areas identified for student learning experiences included understanding the complexity of the health care system and its impact on elderly patients, understanding the payment system, and developing skills in assessment and care coordination. A model is described for continuous enhancement of educational programs to be used to improve educational experience in geriatrics.     

Geriatric education. Part II: The effect of a well elderly program on medical student attitudes toward geriatric patients.

OBJECTIVE: To assess impact of exposure to healthy elderly on medical students' attitudes toward the elderly. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, controlled intervention trial. SETTING: Community-based Well Elderly Program. PARTICIPANTS: Ninety-three fourth year medical students on a required Geriatric Medicine clerkship who were assigned to either a tertiary care university medical center or a teaching nursing home. INTERVENTION: Thirty-five students were randomly assigned to participate in a Well Elderly Program and were compared to a control group of 58 students at equivalent sites who did not participate. MEASUREMENTS: Pre- and post-rotation, students were given the Aging Semantic Differential (ASD), a validated geriatric attitudinal scale. MAIN RESULTS: By repeated measures analysis of variance, the difference between pre- and post-rotation ASD scores were most significant for students who participated in the Well Elderly Program; site did not exert a significant interaction effect. CONCLUSION: These results underscore the importance of exposure to healthy older people on effecting positive attitude changes among medical students on geriatrics rotations.     

An initial cross-cultural assessment of attitudes toward the elderly

As the proportion of elderly persons comprising the population of developing and industrialized countries continues to increase, issues involving the elderly and attitudes toward the elderly will become more salient. The structure and components of attitudes held regarding the elderly need to be better understood. This need calls for instruments capable of measuring attitudes about the elderly across cultural contexts. The present paper reports an investigation of attitude structure and the development of two attitude scales using Likert scaling techniques combined with factor analysis. A pool of items was generated in English and in Spanish and subsequently endorsed by 396 individuals, 202 English and 194 Spanish native speakers. Factor analysis performed separately on results from the two language groups produced consistent results: one group of items loaded on a factor called positivity toward the elderly and the other group loaded on a factor called negativity toward the elderly. Theoretical implications of these findings were discussed and equivalent forms of positivity and negativity scales in English and Spanish were presented for use in further research.     

Attitude Toward the Elderly,Fear of Death,and Work Preference of Baccalaureate Nursing Students

Aging increases the proximity to death. It may be that fear of death has a negative impact on attitude toward the elderly. The previous research is inconclusive. A positive attitude toward the elderly in past studies was not found to be related to preference for working with this age group. In the present study of senior baccalaureate nursing students, no relationship was found between attitude toward the elderly and fear of death. However, a significant relationship was found between positive attitude toward the elderly and preference for working with this age group. In addition, subjects who had experience living with or caring for an elderly person were found to have a high preference for working with the elderly. An intriguing finding is that subjects with a high preference for working with older clients with more likely to describe themselves as religious or devoutly religous.     

Age differences and correlates of worrying in young and elderly adults.

A cross-sectional investigation compared worry and its correlates in elderly people (N = 89) and in college students (N = 74). Consistent with prediction, the elderly adults expressed significantly fewer worries than the college students about finances and social events. Both groups were equally worried about health issues. The elderly scored higher on the Bradburn Affect Balance Scale, scored in the external direction on the Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale, and were more oriented toward the past and present than the future. Worry in the elderly was related to less favorable attitudes toward the future, and among college students worry was related to negative attitudes toward the present. For both age groups, an external locus of control was associated with higher worry scores.     

Medical students' attitudes toward sexually active older persons

There are widespread assumptions in the literature concerning general disapproval of sexual activity in older persons. However, research evidence in support of these assumptions is sparse. An experiment that focused on attitudes toward sexually active older persons was conducted with 140 freshmen medical students. Each student read a 200-word account of a 68-year-old man or woman temporarily living in a nursing home. By random assignment, half read that the person was sexually active; there was no mention of sexuality for the remaining students. Students evaluated the 68 year old on a rating scale of 0 to 9 for such characteristics as mental alertness and cheerfulness. Regardless of the 68-year-old person's gender, the students were significantly biased in favor of the sexually active person. Implications of these findings are discussed.     

Medical and Psychology Students' Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Aging and Sexuality

The current study surveys medical and doctoral psychology students (N = 100) from an urban northeastern university regarding knowledge and attitudes toward elderly sexuality and aging using the Facts on Aging Quiz, the Aging Sexuality Knowledge and Attitudes Scale, and measures of interest in gerontology, academic/clinical exposure to aging and sexuality, and contact with elders. The current study found that psychology students demonstrated greater aging knowledge than medical students; however, both groups showed gaps in knowledge about sexuality. Married students had greater academic/clinical exposure and greater knowledge about aging but less permissive attitudes toward elderly sexuality. Generally, knowledge about aging was the strongest correlate of knowledge about sexuality. Level of knowledge about sexuality was not associated with attitudes. Attitudes toward sexuality and aging may be more strongly tied to demographic variables reflective of religious beliefs or adherence to sociocultural norms.     

Attitudes toward and use of subsequent nursing home services among a national sample of older adults

This study was designed to examine the relationship between attitudes toward nursing homes and subsequent nursing home utilization, and assess the impact of prior nursing home utilization on subsequent attitudes among a national sample of older Americans. Multivariate estimation procedures for complex survey designs were performed on the National Long-Term Care Survey data set. Although prior nursing home use did not directly affect subsequent attitudes toward nursing homes, having favorable attitudes about nursing homes increased the odds of using subsequent nursing home services by 1.5 and increased the total nursing home length of stay by 17%. Implications of this research for public policy and long-term care treatment planning are discussed.