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Abstract
Aim: To determine young peoples' attitudes towards ageism.
Methods: Cross-sectional descriptive design study, conducted with 78 community-dwelling young people (aged 18-25 years). Socio-demographic questionnaire and Ageism Attitude Scale (three subscales, high scores indicating positive attitude, max. 115) were used for data collection.
Results: Mean score of Ageism Attitude Scale was 81.5±8.9 indicating that young people's attitudes towards aging and ageism were positive. Young unmarried people had significantly higher scores than young married people. Scores of young people planning to live with their parents when they get older were higher than those who did not plan to live with any older adults (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Programs focusing children education about aging and elderly needs to be developed to sustain positive attitudes towards the elderly and aging.
Keywords: Aged, ageism, attitude, nursing, young people, cross-sectional study
Introduction
With the significant rise in life expectancy, the proportion of older adults in the world is increasing, which has led to a continuous aging of our population across the globe (Population Reference Bureau 2015). Current demographic change, referred to as "population aging," brings new challenges for the elderly and their families (WHO 2015). These challenges are expected to occur in areas such as the utilization and delivery of health care services and resources, organization and financing of social services, care of the elderly within the family, social support, compliance with the aging process, and income support for elderly populations (WHO 2015).
Experiences of elderly and their families have a major impact on a society's perceptions of old age, which result in changes in behaviors and attitudes toward the elderly (Cilingiroglu & Demirel 2004; Akdemir et al 2007). Society's attitude towards old age is greatly influenced by certain characteristics including the individual's age, past experiences, cultural beliefs, values, and educational background (Akdemir et al 2007). While many Eastern societies associate old age with wisdom, open-mindedness, tolerance, experience, and authority, most Western societies and some African countries perceive old people as diseased, skeptical, and conservative individuals (Musaiger & D'Souza 2009; Okoye & Obikeze 2005).
This negative perception leads members of society to view old age as an unfavorable status or condition, which then leads to age discrimination in society. Age discrimination, or "ageism," is defined as different attitudes, prejudice, actions, behaviors,...