Study of the attitudes and future intentions of nursing students towards working with older people: an observational study

Association between ageing knowledge and willingness to care for older adults among nursing students in China: the mediating role of attitude towards older adults

Little is known about the mediating effect of attitude toward older adults on the relationship between aging knowledge and willingness to care for older adults. We applied the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and the knowledge-attitude-behavior (KAB) model as theoretical frameworks to examine the mediation effect of attitude toward older adults. Data from 388 Chinese nursing students were analyzed. The Willingness to Care for Older People (WCOP) scale, Kogan's Attitude toward Older People scale (KAOP) and Facts on Aging Quiz (FAQ) were utilized to assess willingness, attitude and aging knowledge, respectively. Data were analyzed using SPSS 22. 0 with the PROCESS macro. Bootstrap methods were used to obtain the significance of mediating effects. The study showed that aging knowledge was significantly associated with willingness to care for older adults and that attitude toward older adults mediated the association. Bootstrapping method confirmed the significance of the indirect effect of aging knowledge through attitude, accounting for 18.9% of the total willingness variance. Overall, based on the TPB and the KAB theoretical framework, our data support the notion that improving aging knowledge and attitude may contribute to improve the willingness to aged care among nursing students.

Nursing and midwifery students' perceptions of the elderly in nursing homes: a metaphor analysis

BACKGROUND

Nursing and midwifery students' perceptions and attitudes toward older adults affect their behaviours, career choices and/or the quality of care provided to older adults after graduation. This study aimed to evaluate the perceptions of second year nursing and midwifery students toward elderly people staying in nursing homes through metaphor analysis.

METHODS

This qualitative study has used the phenomenological approach. The sample of the study consisted of 128 nursing and midwifery students by purposive sampling method. Students were prompted to complete a sentence to express their perceptions about the elderly living in nursing homes: 'The elderly in the nursing home is similar to … because …' Participants were required to fill in their responses in two stages, providing metaphors in the first blank and reasons for their metaphors in the second blank.

RESULTS

The results indicated that five main themes and 12 sub-themes were obtained from student metaphors: (i) needing help in meeting their needs (need for care and need for love); (ii) the emotional burden of a life away from loved ones (loneliness, abandonment, and helplessness); (iii) exhaustion at the end of the road (end, loss, and unproductive); (iv) holding on to life again (friendship and beginning); and (v) post-traumatic growth (strong and experienced).

CONCLUSION

Students should question how to create opportunities and increase interaction for the elderly in the age of changing and developing technology before graduation and should be trained as professional individuals who are willing for this purpose.

Ageism and nursing students, past or reality?: A systematic review

OBJECTIVE

This systematic review aimed to summarise and update existing knowledge about ageism among nursing students through the following research question: what is the perception and attitudes of ageism among student nurses?

DESIGN

A systematic review of longitudinal and cross-sectional studies of ageism in nursing students was carried out.

DATA SOURCES

The literature search was conducted in the scientific databases Pubmed and Scopus in February 2021.

REVIEW METHODS

After the screening process, 22 studies meeting the selection criteria were selected; 8 more were identified after manually searching the selected paper' reference lists. A total of 30 studies were included in the review. The JBI Critical Appraisal Checklists for Analytical Cross-Sectional studies and for Cohort Studies were used to appraise the articles' quality.

RESULTS

There was large variability in the manifestation of ageism among student nurses, as well as in the instruments used for assessment. Most of the articles analysed attitudes towards old age, the majority of which were positive. Being a female student, being on the final year of study and having regular contact or cohabitation with an older adult were three of the main determinants in the expression of positive attitudes towards the elderly.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that student nurses generally have positive attitudes towards old age, although ageist beliefs and discriminatory behaviours were identified and should be studied in greater depth. Training programs for future care professionals have a responsibility to educate from a non-stereotypical perspective based on current societal needs.

Does Ageism Exist Among Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation Students? Predictors of Attitudes Toward Older Adults

Background

With the growing population of older adults, the demand for health rehabilitation services has rapidly increased. Like many countries around the world, the older population in Saudi Arabia is increasing. Tackling ageism has powerful provenance for uncovering and changing the dynamics of contemporary aging in Saudi Arabia. This study examined the attitudes toward older adults and the potential predictors influencing these attitudes among multidisciplinary health rehabilitation students.

Methods

A total of 293 health rehabilitation students completed an online survey with a mean age of 21.1± 1.3 years. The survey included data about demographic and geriatric-related characteristics, attitudes toward older adults (UCLA-GA), knowledge of aging (FAQ) and aging anxiety (AAS).

Results

Most participants were female (70.3%), with 53% of the students specializing in physical therapy. The average score of attitudes toward older adults was 3.43 (0.40). The predictors of attitudes toward older adults were knowledge of aging (β = 0.34, p < 0.0001), living with older adults (β = 0.12, p = 0.02) and the importance of contact (very important, β = 0.31, p = 0.04).

Conclusion

These results provide further evidence to support that ageist attitudes among students can be overcome by enhancing knowledge of aging and promoting positive contact with older adults. With the demographic shift in Saudi Arabia, we propose that there is a great need for establishing a competency-based geriatric education and strategies to enhance positive contact with older adults.

Attitude towards Older People According to Sociodemographic and Educational Variables in Students of a Chilean University

Current evidence suggests that attitude towards older people may be associated with sociodemographic and educational variables; hence, a positive attitude towards older people is key when training new university professionals. However, there is little evidence of this association in Chilean university students. The objective was to analyze students from a Chilean university's attitudes towards older people, according to sociodemographic and educational variables. Analytical and cross-sectional study; 515 students from a Chilean university were consulted online about their attitude towards older people using Kogan's Attitudes towards Old People scale. Additionally, sociodemographic and educational variables were recorded. The average score for positive attitude was 70.8 (±9.7), while the negative attitude score was 68.3 (±11.6). The total score was 139.1 (±16.6). Mostly, university students perceive themselves with a low-level positive attitude (61.2%). Additionally, older university students (26-42 years old); women; Chileans; students of law, speech therapy, and occupational therapy; students in their final years of the programs; and those who had training in older people outside the university have a more positive attitude towards older people. In Conclusion, a profile of sociodemographic and educational characteristics of students with a lower and higher attitude towards older age was investigated. These results are relevant since the way of seeing the aging process could regulate the training of future professionals and consequently generate changes in dealing with older people. Young people's perception of ageing would affect the treatment and incorporation of the older people in society and the adaptation of policies in this age group.

Influencing Nursing Student Attitudes Toward Older Adults: A Pre/Post Interventional Study

BACKGROUND

The older adult population in the US is burgeoning and nurses will be at the forefront of providing the skilled, compassionate care needed for them. Undergraduate nursing students do not commonly desire to work with older adults after graduation, likely related to negative attitudes, which can adversely impact the care provided.

AIM

To determine the effect of a course using a suite of teaching techniques designed to positively shift nursing students' attitudes toward older adults.

DESIGN

A one group pre and post-test design was used to test the effect of completion of the Nursing Care of the Older Adult course on baccalaureate undergraduate junior level nursing students' attitudes toward older people at a large University in the Midwest for two consecutive years (2019 and 2020).

METHODS

A quality assurance evaluation using a voluntary anonymous survey (Kogan's Attitude Toward Older People Instrument) on paper (2019) or online (2020) took place on the first and last day of class. Normality was assessed and the central limit theorem was applicable, therefore, independent samples t-tests were performed on the primary outcome, total score, with the primary predictor as pre vs post. This process was repeated on a 2020 cohort in the same course with a paired samples t-test, as paired subject ID's were recorded in 2020 but not in 2019. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on all parts of academic life, no direct comparisons were made between the 2019 and 2020 samples. Course content included lectures, videos, MaskEd™ simulation, group work, case studies and clinical experiences.

RESULTS

Both cohorts had significant improvement in the total Kogan instrument score, indicating a positive change in attitudes toward older adults [2019 pre M 167.2, SD 20.3 to post M 176.9, SD 22.4, t (292.43) =3.96, p<0.001 and 2020 pre M 179.4, SD 21.3 to post M 188.1, SD 22.2, t (70) =-5.61, p<0.001].

CONCLUSION

The innovative, intentional teaching strategies incorporated into this gerontology course were effective in promoting positive attitudes toward older adults.

IMPACT STATEMENT

Providing knowledge about and interaction with older adults can positively influence nursing students' attitudes and contribute to the improvement health care outcomes for this population.

Transition from Nurses to Medicalized Elderly Caregivers: Comparison on Willingness between Traditional and Modern Regions in China

As China is transitioning to an aging society, the Chinese government has proposed an eldercare pattern, called medicalized elderly care, to help solve the rapid aging and health care problems together. However, the shortage of elderly caregivers is a critical issue, with deficiency both in quantity and quality. This study aims to survey nurses' willingness to transition into medicalized elderly caregivers and compare it between modern and traditional regions. Nurses working in Guangdong (modern region) and Jilin (traditional region) were investigated using a self-administered questionnaire in October 2021. We analyzed the influencing factors through χ²-test, t-test a and binary logistic regression model and further explored the influence of region using propensity score matching (PSM). A total of 1227 nurses were included, with 726 (59.2%) of them showing willingness to transition. Nurses from traditional regions showed a significantly higher willingness to transition after PSM (p = 0.027). Other factors influencing nurses' willingness were age, education, lived with older adults, participated in voluntary activities related to older adults, visited eldercare institutions, attitudes toward older adults, knowledge about older adults, hospice care attitudes and death attitudes. The willingness of nurses to transition was not high enough. To have more willing and skillful human resources for eldercare, we need a more "intimate society for older adults" in the first place.

Factors Affecting Attitudes towards Older People in Undergraduate Nursing Students

Background: The population of older people is increasing worldwide. The social and healthcare systems need many nurses to care for the elderly. Positive attitudes increase the preference to work with older people and improve the quality of care. This study describes attitudes towards the elderly in a sample of nursing students, and analyzes the potential factors influencing these attitudes. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in nursing students during the academic course 2017–2018. Kogan’s Attitude Toward Old People Scale was used to assess student attitudes towards older people. Results: The study included 377 undergraduate nursing students, of which 75.9% were women. The mean age was 22.23 (5.69) years. Attitude proved positive, with a mean Kogan’s score of 131.04 (12.66). Women had higher scores than men, with a mean difference of 7.76 (95% CI: 4.87–10.66; p < 0.001). The male sex, age ≥ 25 years, and previous experience with institutionalized older adults worsened attitudes, while studying the subject of geriatrics, each higher course within the degree, work placements in hospitals and nursing homes, and previous experience with community older adults or with older relatives favored a more positive attitude. Participants with no interest in working with older adults yielded lower scores. Conclusions: Attitudes towards the elderly among nursing students are positive. Women have a more positive attitude. Analyzing the factors that improve attitudes in nursing students is suggested, as it may contribute to improve nursing care.