Ageism, Aging Anxiety, and Death and Dying Anxiety Among Doctors and Nurses

Abstract

Ageism is an important phenomenon that affects how individuals and society relate to older adults. It is important to evaluate ageism in the medical staff because of its potential effect on treatment for older adults. A cross-sectional study to assess the negative attitudes of doctors and nurses towards older adults using the Fraboni Scale of Ageism, as a method for evaluating attitudes towards ageism in medical teams. Additional variables associated with ageism such as aging anxiety, and death and dying anxiety were also assessed. The study population included doctors and nurses working in a large university hospital or in community clinics in southern Israel. In all, 431 questionnaires were collected, 203 from the hospital (47.5%) and 224 from the community (52.5%). Of these, 216 (50.1%) were doctors and 215 (49.9%) were nurses. The mean ageism score with the Fraboni Scale of Ageism was 2.8. In a linear regression model, doctors were less ageist than nurses, ageism was directly associated with aging anxiety and dying anxiety, and was inversely associated with death anxiety. Among doctors, prominent ageist attitudes were directly associated with aging and dying anxiety, inversely associated with graduation from medical school in Israel and death anxiety. Among nurses, prominent ageism attitudes were directly associated with dying anxiety and inversely associated with work in the hospital. Ageist attitudes were found among doctors and nurses in both the hospital and community clinics. The results emphasize the need to raise awareness of ageism in medical teams and to include this subject in professional training programs designed to reduce its prevalence.