The COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on the far reaches of ageism in our society. The current study sought to better understand ageist beliefs in Canadian undergraduate students during the pandemic. As part of a larger survey on ageism, we conducted a thematic analysis on open-ended responses to the following questions: 1) “Has your relationship with older adults in your life changed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic?” and 2) “Have you noticed that attitudes or opinions towards older adults in your community have changed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic?” Students felt that older adults should be treated differently during the pandemic because they are seen as “high risk” or “vulnerable.” Furthermore, students felt that they needed to be more cautious around older adults because older adults need to be taken care of. Students expressed fear about transmitting the virus to older adults in their lives so chose to isolate from grandparents or avoid older adults in the community in an effort to keep them safe. Finally, examples of negative and positive ageism were present in responses. Negative ageism was seen in comments about how older adults were going to die anyway, the assumption that older adults need more help, and the belief that older adults should be staying home during the pandemic. Positive ageism was present where students realized the importance of their relationships with the older adults in their lives. Results are discussed using the framework of implicit and explicit ageism.
Approximately 20% of older adults have a mental or neurological disorder which can cause significant disability. With a growing older adult population, there is a need for providers receiving specialized training in aging to provide quality care. However, there continues to be shortages of students seeking careers in geriatrics and especially in working with older individuals with mental health (MH) concerns. The present study explored the relationship between MH stigma, ageism and intention to work with older adults among undergraduate students. Undergraduate students (N=188) completed a battery of questionnaires including intention to work with older adults, positive and negative attitude towards older adults, and open-ended questions exploring MH stigma views. Regression results indicated that MH stigma, positive, and negative attitudes significantly predicted intention to work with older adults, (F(3, 182) = 8.51, p = .000). Examination of the coefficients revealed that positive attitudes significantly predicted intention to work with older adults (t=4.38, p=.000), and MH stigma demonstrated a trend towards significance (t=1.90, p=.059). Open-ended responses were analyzed using qualitative description methods which revealed themes consistent with negative and positive stereotypes, MH problems going undetected, and need for additional support in recognizing and treating MH conditions among older adults. Positive attitudes are an important predictor in students’ intention to work with older adults, and MH stigma may be an important factor to explore further. Qualitative themes also describe how MH concerns are an important area to focus on among older adults, although there continues to be evidence of aging stereotypes.
Abstract. We surveyed 377 undergraduates, half in the spring (i.e., before COVID-19) and half in the fall (i.e., during COVID-19) term of 2020 on explicit attitudes toward and intention to work with older adults (OAs). We asked open-ended questions about their attitudes toward OAs resulting from COVID-19. We found significant differences with small effect sizes between the cohorts on explicit ageism. Thematic content analyses found that most students themselves did not perceive a change in their explicit attitudes toward OAs. Negative ageism predicted intention to work with OAs for the spring cohort, but this shifted to positive ageism for the fall cohort.
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