Factors related to the attitudes towards the older adults and emphatic skills of gerontology students

Dilek Doruk Kondakcı; Aslı Kılavuz; Özlem Özgür; İsmail  Tufan

doi:10.14687/jhs.v20i4.6383

Authors

Dilek Doruk Kondakcı Trakya University https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9752-3833
Aslı Kılavuz Ege University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0474-9911
Özlem Özgür Akdeniz University https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5330-0902
İsmail Tufan Akdeniz University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7185-7373

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14687/jhs.v20i4.6383

Keywords:

Geriatrics, gerontology, elderly people, attitude, empathy

Abstract

Aim: In this study, we aimed to determine the factors related to the attitudes and empathic skill levels of gerontology students towards the older adults.

Methods: 167 Gerontology students participated in our study. Data were collected by Google online survey method using personal information form, Kogan's Attitude towards Elderly Scale and Basic Empathy Scale.

Results: Mean age of the students is 21.41 ± 2 year, 80% were female. A statistically significant difference was found between the students' grade level, their mother's education level, whether they lived with an older adult at any time in their lives, the duration of living with an older adult and the total score of the attitude towards the elderly scale (p < 0.001, 0.002, 0.017, 0.044, respectively). There was a statistically significant difference between gender, mother's education level, the place where they lived for the longest time and the positive attitude score towards the elderly (p = 0.008, 0.005, 0.019, respectively). There was a statistically significant difference between the students' grade level, number of siblings, whether they lived with an older adult at any time in their lives and the negative attitude score towards the elderly (p<0.001, 0.016, 0.028, respectively).

A statistically significant difference was found between gender, mother's education level and the total score of the basic empathy scale (p<0.001, 0.005, respectively), emotional subscale (p<0.001, 0.041, respectively) and cognitive subscale scores (p = 0.007, 0.005, respectively). The mean Attitudes Towards Elderly Scale Total Score, Positive Attitude Sub-scale Score and Negative Attitude Sub-scale Score of the students were 156.52 ± 17.54, 72.59 ± 11.02 and 83.93 ± 11.89, respectively. The mean scores of Basic Empathy Scale Total Score, Cognitive Sub-scale Score and Emotional Sub-scale Score were 78.05 ± 10.19, 37.04 ± 4.94 and 41.02 ± 7.13, respectively.

Conclusions: In our study, it was determined that the gerontology department students had high attitudes and empathic skills towards the older adults.

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Author Biographies

Dilek Doruk Kondakcı, Trakya University

Assist. Prof., Ph.D., Trakya University, Keşan Hakkı Yörük School of Health, Department of Emergency Aid and Disaster Management

Aslı Kılavuz, Ege University

Assoc. Prof., M.D., Ph.D., Ege University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine

Özlem Özgür, Akdeniz University

Res. Asst., Akdeniz University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Gerontology

İsmail Tufan, Akdeniz University

Prof. M.D., Ph.D., Akdeniz University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Gerontology

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