Nursing students' attitudes towards ageism and influencing factors

Abstract

This descriptive and cross-sectional study aims to determine the attitudes of nursing students toward ageism and influencing factors. The study was carried out between March 18 and April 8, 2023, with the participation of 209 students who were studying in the nursing department of the Faculty of Health Sciences of a university and volunteered to participate. The data were collected by the researchers using the questionnaire form prepared in line with the literature and the Ageism Attitude Scale (AAS). Arithmetic mean, Standard deviation, median and frequency (percent) values, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Spearman correlation analysis were used to evaluate the data. In this study, it can be stated that students have a positive attitude towards ageism in line with the scores they receive from the AAS. In line with the findings obtained from the study, it is recommended to organize scientific activities and ensure the participation of students to increase students' awareness of ageism and to ensure that they gain a positive attitude. Keywords: Ageism; attitude; elderly; nurse; student.