Influencing Factor on the Attitudes toward Elders among Nurses Working at Geriatric Hospitals: Focusing on Empathy

Abstract

This study examined influencing factors on the attitudes toward elders with a focus on empathy. Data were gathered from 291 nurses working at 14 geriatric hospitals in Kyunggi-Do, Chungchung-Do and Incheon. In analyzing the data, Pearson correlation coefficients, t-test, ANOVA, and regression analysis were adopted. Attitudes toward elders were neutral on the average; those nurses revealed both positive and negative aspects such as friendly, good, kind, conservative, sick and dependent. Of the four empathy scales, only empathic concern revealed significant correlation with the attitudes toward elders. Regression model included empathic concern and the nurses' characteristics. Empathic concern was significant in predicting the attitudes toward elders after controlling for the effects of the nurses' characteristics. Experience of voluntary work for elders was the only predictor among individual characteristics. Explanatory power of the model was 10.7%. We need to develop intervention programs raising empathy among nurses. The instrument measuring empathy needs to be examined.

Nursing Students’ Willingness to Care for Older Adults

“…Interestingly, anxiety was significantly lower among students who did volunteer work for older adults, had high frequency and quality of contact with older adults, and had empathy and positive attitudes towards older adults. These findings were similar to those of Hutchison et al (2010), Kim (2013), and Kim and Jang (2017). However, Kim and Jang (2017) showed living in an extended family and having experience with older-adult-related nursing (rather than volunteer work) were related to lower anxiety about aging.…”

“…This is a replication study of one first performed by Kim and Jang (2017), so this discussion is focused to compare these two studies. Significantly, the frequency and quality of contact with older adults were higher than those of college students with non-nursing majors in the study by Kim (2013) and those of Korean nursing students in the study by Kim and Jang (2017). The mean score for aging-process anxiety was lower than that of college students with non-nursing majors (Kim, 2013) and Korean nursing students (Kim and Jang, 2017).…”

“…Significantly, the frequency and quality of contact with older adults were higher than those of college students with non-nursing majors in the study by Kim (2013) and those of Korean nursing students in the study by Kim and Jang (2017). The mean score for aging-process anxiety was lower than that of college students with non-nursing majors (Kim, 2013) and Korean nursing students (Kim and Jang, 2017). Among subgroups of aging-process anxiety, the participants in the present study showed much lower scores for the fear of old people and psychological concerns than Korean nursing students (Kim and Jang, 2017), whereas the mean score for the fear of loss was only slightly lower in this study.…”

“…Interestingly, the score for empathy towards older adults in this study-including both cognitive and emotional empathy-was higher than that of Korean nursing students, and cognitive empathy was greater than emotional empathy in both studies. Further, the score for the attitude towards older adults was lower than the middle range, while previous studies found the attitudes of nurses and nursing students were within the middle range (Kim et al, 2002;Kim, 2011;Kim, and Jeong, 2013;Kim et al, 2016;Kim and Jang, 2017;Kwon et al, 2013).…”

Geriatric Hospital Nurses' Empathy, Attitude and Pain Management for Patients with Dementia

“…공감능력은 대상자에 대한 태도 에 영향을 주며 [13], 모든 돕는 관계의 중요한 요소로 간주된다 [14]. 환자와 간호사 간에 치료적 관계를 맺고 양질의 간호를 제 공하는데 공감능력이 중요한 역할을 하는 것으로 보고되고 있고 [15], 간호사가 환자에게 적절한 통증관리를 제공하기 위해 공감 능력을 이해하는 것은 필수적이다 [14].…”