The relationship between ageism, willingness to care for older adults and care behaviors of nursing students: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

ABSTRACT Purpose: This study was conducted to determine nursing student attitudes towards ageism, their willingness to care for older adults, their level of care quality perception, and to examine the relationships between them. Material and Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. The study was conducted at four different universities in Turkiye. The population for the research consisted of fourth-year students studying in the nursing departments of four different universities in 2020 – 2021 academic year. Data were collected using the Student Information Form, Ageism Attitude Scale, Elderly Patient Care Inventory, and Caring Behaviors Inventory-24. In the data analysis, independent samples t-test, ANOVA and Spearman Correlation were used. Results: Students had positive attitudes towards ageism. There were positive relationships between ageism with perception of care quality and willingness to care for older adults. Conclusion: The increases in students' positive attitudes towards ageism, their perception of the quality of care and willingness to care for the elderly are positive in parallel. Keywords: Ageism, attitude, behavior, nursing student, older adult.

Keywords

• ageism
• attitude
• behavior
• nursing student
• older adult

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