Attitudes Towards Older People in Croatian and Slovenian Nursing Students

Abstract

Background: Croatia and Slovenia are neighboring countries with marked differences in high school and undergraduate nursing curricula. The aim was to assess and compare attitudes toward the elderly among undergraduate nursing students in Croatia and Slovenia and identify factors associated with positive/negative attitudes.Subjects and methods: This was a cross-sectional survey conducted between September, 2017 and July, 2018 among undergraduate nursing students at five higher education institutions: three in Slovenia and two in Croatia. The following data were gathered: age, sex, year of study, previous education, employment status, previous education in gerontolgy, desired professional role after graduating, previous experience with the elderly. Kogan`s Attitude Towards Old People Scale (KATOPS) score was the primary outcome measure. Pairwise comparisons were conducted between Croatian and Slovenian students. KATOPS score was dichotomized with values above the 3rd quartile considered excellent - the dichotomized score was used as the dependent variable in a binary logistic regression model.Results: Overall, 825 students completed the questionnaire, 85.5% were women, 417 from Slovenia, 408 from Croatia, and 80% were under 22 years of age (80%). The average score on the KATOPS was 127.4, 95% CI 126.6-128.2. Variables associated with excellent scores on the KATOPS, based on the binary regression were: studying in Slovenia (OR=2.05, 95% CI 1.39-3.03), age group 28-32 years (OR=3.9, 95% CI 1.53-9.98); previous education gerontic nursing (OR=2.45, 95% CI 1.34-4.47), and full-time study (OR=2.12, 95% CI 1.38-3.55). Variables not associated with excellent scores were: being married (OR=0.44, 95% CI 0.22- 0.92) and having previous experience in working with the elderly (OR=0.5, 95% CI 0.3-0.86). Conclusion: Attitudes toward old age are mildly positive in Slovenian and Croatian nursing students. Slovenian students have significantly more positive attitudes toward old age and these differences are most probably due to marked differences in undergraduate nursing curricula between the two countries.

Educational Needs and Motivational Factors in Gerontic Nursing Students: A Qualitative Study Among Slovenian and Croatian Undergraduate Nursing Educators

“…This was a qualitative study designed to explore perceptions of educators at undergraduate nursing courses related to educational needs and motivational factors among nursing students. The study was nested within a quantitative study on the attitudes and knowledge je provedena unutar kvantitativne studije o stavovima i znanju preddiplomskih studenata sestrinstva prema starijoj dobi i starenju i dio je doktorske disertacije prvog autora (JV) (5). Ovo je izvješće sastavljeno u skladu sa Smjernicama o izvještavanju COREQ (Consolidated Criteria for REporting Qualitative research) (7).…”

“…Understanding attitudes, knowledge, motivation, and emotional needs of nursing professionals (and their educators) catering to the needs of the elderly is important, as all of these factors are directly associated with the quality of care provided (4) (5,6). We believe that attitudes of educators, which were not assessed in the quantitative arm of the study, play a significant role in student motivation, attitudes, and knowledge, and thus directly impact the quality of care provided in the future.…”

“…Najprije je tekst podijeljen u manje jedinice, prema unaprijed definiranim temama. Nakon prvog čitanja teksta određene su in vivo kategorije (primjerice, ako se isti sadržaj pojavljuje u dva ili više intervjua, of undergraduate nursing students towards old age and ageing and is a part of the PhD thesis of the first author (JV) (5). The report was structured in accordance with the COREQ (Consolidated Criteria for REporting Qualitative research) reporting guidelines (7).…”

“…Although the rates of disability are declining in the elderly, the rise in their absolute numbers and shift in expenditure towards proposals on work experience with the elderly; iii) proposals on interventions to strengthen motivation to work with the elderly; iv) effects of attitudes of students on ageing and the elderly; v) emotional responses of students towards ageing. In each of the themes, several (4)(5)(6) main categories were identified. Conclusion: Perceptions of educators across the five educational institutions do not differ significantly: they recognize the possible emotional responses of students towards ageing as a generally negative attitude, indifference, and fear, yet they fail to offer solutions to change the emotional reaction.…”

“…Prethodna istraživanja pokazala su neadekvatne razine znanja o problemima povezanima s gerontološkom skrbi među gerontološkim profesionalcima, ali stavove i znanja može se modificirati primjerenim edukacijskim intervencijama. Ranije smo objavili kvantitativne podatke istraživanja o stavovima i znanju o starijoj dobi i starenju među studentima gerontološkog sestrinstva u Hrvatskoj i Sloveniji i pokazali da, načelno, studenti sestrinstva imaju blago pozitivne stavove koji su pod utjecajem kurikulskog sadržaja (5,6). Mišljenja smo da stavovi nastavnika, koji nisu procijenjeni u kvantitativnom dijelu studije, imaju značajnu ulogu u motivaciji studenata, njihovim stavovima i znanju i tako izravno utječu na kvalitetu buduće pružene skrbi.…”