Factors associated with ageist attitudes among college students

Abstract

Findings suggest that increased exposure to and interactions with older adults can reduce ageist views among college students. Practical recommendations are provided to increase students' opportunities for interactions with and exposure to older adults. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 1698-1706.

Psychometric properties of the Negative Stereotypes Towards Aging Questionnaire (CENVE) among a sample of Portuguese adults

“…One must be aware that agism can take many forms (e.g., prejudicial attitudes, discriminatory practices, or institutional policies) and practices, perpetuating stereotypical beliefs (Smith et al, 2016). Therefore, interventions that are aimed at cognitive, behavioral, and emotional components (Ayalon & Tesch-Römer, 2017) are important, and CENVE can be a useful tool to assess the levels of negative stereotypes before and after intervention.…”

“…It can take many forms, including prejudicial attitudes, discriminatory practices, or institutional policies and practices that perpetuate stereotypical beliefs (Smith, Bergeron, Cowart, Ahn, Towne, et al, 2016). Agism includes cognitive, behavioral, and emotional manifestations (Ayalon & Tesch-Römer, 2017) and reinforces social inequalities (Rippon, Kneale, de Oliveira, Demakakos, & Steptoe, 2014).…”

Using the Relating to Older People Evaluation tool to measure ageism in higher education

“…Developing educational interventions and promoting awareness of ageism through media may highlight the realities of ageism, however positive and negative behaviours must be disseminated to illustrate its impact on older people (Brown et al 2017). Smith et al (2017) suggests integrating other programmes of study such as gerontology or social work to help understand the ageing process. Multidisciplinary teaching in nursing curricula would highlight the complex nature of ageing and importance of a collective approach to support healthy ageing of the population.…”

“…Globally ageism exists in healthcare systems around the world (Wilson et al 2017), and nurses ageist attitudes could impact negatively patient care, colleagues and mentored student nurses (Smith et al 2017). In the UK ageism and discriminatory attitudes have been evident across health and social services at different levels, for example at policy level through to screening and accessing services (Ouchida and Lachs 2015).…”

“…However, student nurses' perceptions are often influenced during clinical placements by registered nurses who hold negative attitudes towards older people (Hovey et al 2017). Following placements, student nurses have described older person care as less desirable (Smith et al 2017), repetitive and unchallenging (Gould et al 2013), undemanding and depressing (Carlson et al 2015) and consequently few student nurses see older people care as good career and many want to avoid this area upon qualifying (Neville et al 2016).…”