Psychometric properties of a Chinese version of the Fraboni scale of ageism: evidence from medical students sample

Abstract

Background: The increasing of older adults has led to enormous demand for medical care. However, as a group with unique needs and characteristics, older adults are often discriminated against in the medical field. In this paper, we aimed to translate the Fraboni Scale of Ageism (FSA) into Chinese and examine its construct validity, content validity, and reliability in Chinese mainland medical students. In order to evaluate the prevalence of ageism in Chinese medical students and prompt medical college to adopt necessary teaching methods to mitigate ageism in medical students. Methods: By Brislin's translation guidelines, FSA was translated to Chinese. The convenient sampling method was used to select samples for this survey, including 1,974 students from two medical schools in central and north China. Construct validity was verified by the exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The content validity index (CVI) was used to assess content validity. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were used to estimate reliability. Results: The alpha coefficients for FSA (Chinese version) was 0.81 and ICC was 0.87. The CVI was 0.93. Three factors were identified by exploratory factor analysis explaining 34.84% of the total variance and a three-factor model was confirmed to fit by confirmatory factor analysis. Conclusions: FSA (Chinese version) is a reliable and valid scale for measuring discrimination degree against older adults in Chinese medical students.

Measuring Discrimination against Older People Applying the Fraboni Scale of Ageism

“…This factor reflects respondents' inclination to avoid direct contact with old people. The stereotypes factor was similar to the antilocution factor of Fraboni et al [33], and to the stereotypes factor of Rupp et al [34], Kutlu et al [40], and Fan et al [39]. The stereotype factor describes respondents' stereotypical beliefs about old people.…”

“…The mean score of the FSA allows for a multifaceted measure of attitudes toward older adults, as this scale does not examine attitudes alone, but as a combination of the following elements: antilocution, avoidance, and discrimination. The validity of the Fraboni Aging Scale has been examined in several countries: USA [34], Israel [35], Canada [36], Italy [37], Iran [38], and China [39]. In most cases, the researchers used a shortened version of the scale; for example, Fan et al [39] used only 22 items in a Chinese student sample, Bodner and Lazar [35] used 22 items in an Israeli student sample, and Kutlu et al [40] used 25 items of the original scale.…”

“…The validity of the Fraboni Aging Scale has been examined in several countries: USA [34], Israel [35], Canada [36], Italy [37], Iran [38], and China [39]. In most cases, the researchers used a shortened version of the scale; for example, Fan et al [39] used only 22 items in a Chinese student sample, Bodner and Lazar [35] used 22 items in an Israeli student sample, and Kutlu et al [40] used 25 items of the original scale. In most cases, among the reasons for deleting several items from the FSA were a low total correlation of the items or the fact that items were inconsistent with local policies, culture, and family patterns [35,36].…”

Sri Lankan medical officers’ attitudes towards the elderly: a pilot study

“…FSA was chosen for our pilot study due to it being compatible with the theoretical framework of ageism. Even though the FSA has not been validated in Sri Lanka, it has been used in studies in several other countries with different cultural backgrounds [3,4,8,9,11].…”

“…Item numbers 8, 14, 21, 22, 23 and 24 were reverse scored as they are positive statements. The score was interpreted as higher the score, the greater the ageism [6,11].…”