Ageism and altruism among students in the department of health technician training, Turkey

Abstract

Aim: The proportion of the elderly in society is continuously increasing. This brings with it various socioeconomic, physical, and mental problems, one of which is ageism. This study aims to determine the attitudes of students in the department of health technician training toward the elderly and reveal the relationship between these attitudes and students’ socio-demographic characteristics, as well as their levels of altruism. Material and methods: This descriptive study was conducted with 796 students in the department of health technician training in Bingol Province, Turkey, between April 2019 and June 2019. The data collection tools were a personal information form, the ageism attitude scale (the sub-dimensions were limiting the lives of the elderly, positive attitudes toward the elderly, and negative attitudes toward the elderly), and the Altruism Scale. The analysis of the data was carried out on SPSS 23.0. Results: Students’ approaches to altruism and attitudes toward the elderly were positive. There was a significant positive relationship between altruism and limiting the lives of the elderly, positive attitudes toward the elderly, and the ageism scale and a significant negative relationship between altruism and negative attitudes toward the elderly (p<0.05). When the scales were analyzed in terms of socio-demographic characteristics, variables such as gender, age, family structure, and the willingness to live with family showed significant differences (p<0.05). Conclusion: It is believed that the positive attitude of the healthcare staff toward the elderly will affect the quality of the health service provided.