The role of emotional intelligence in attitudes towards elderly patients – Comparative study of medical students from rural and urban areas

Abstract

Introduction. Medical care in geriatrics has its own specificity, and in order to build a successful doctor-patient relationship it is important while studying medicine to learn some functioning aspects of this age group. Objective. The aim of this study is to explore and describe the role of emotional intelligence in the attitudes of medical students towards elderly patients, taking into account their the place of residence. The place of residence has an impact on social relations and socialization, which could effect with disparities in behaviour towards elderly patients. Materials and method. Medical University of Lublin students from rural (N=71; M=23.44 SD=1.80) and urban (N=87; M=23.34; SD=1.38) areas took part in the study. Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (INTE) and Attitude Towards Elderly Patients Questionnaire (ATEP) were used. Results. There are statistically significant differences between medical students from rural and urban areas in their attitude towards elderly patients (p=0.001), but no differences were observed between rural and urban residents in terms of emotional intelligence (general result, action factor and cognitive factor). Positive correlations were observed between action factor (r=0.322), cognitive factor (r=0.311) and general INTE result (r=0.358) and attitude towards elderly patients in the group of medical students from rural area. Conclusions. Medical students from rural areas are characterized by a more positive attitude towards elderly patients than medical students from urban areas. The predictors of attitudes towards elderly patients are the cognitive factor of emotional intelligence and the place of residence of medical students. The results give the opportunity to design a well-developed programme of a geriatric course which could be matched to the personal predispositions of students.

Knowledge and Attitude Towards Geriatric Health and the Associated Factors Among Medical Students of International Islamic University Malaysia

“…which stated the attitude towards elderly was determined by emotional intelligence as well as place residency. 24 This was later supported by Karamivand et. al.…”

“…28,29 As a result, younger generations are being more independent and living far away from generational families which causes reduction in contact with elderly. 24 In other words, there is a probability that those students in rural areas have higher knowledge and attitude because they are closer to their elders than those from urban areas.…”

Providing ambulatory healthcare for people aged 80 and over: Views and perspectives of physicians and dentists from a qualitative survey

“…Therefore, courses addressing the handling of complexity and focusing on motivation and attitudes regarding caring for older adults might be more promising than knowledge-based education. This is supported by studies among nursing and medical students which found that correcting false beliefs about older people, focusing on empathybuilding and enhancing a better understanding of the ageing process made them more positive about and confident in treating older patients [16,18,19,[52][53][54][55]. To support the building of care networks and strengthen a comprehensive understanding of the very old patient, broadly including the relevant areas for maintaining autonomy and well-being, this training could be provided in an interdisciplinary setting.…”