Perception of Old Age by the Inhabitants of Poland.

Mariusz Wysokiński,Wiesław Fidecki,Beata Dziedzic,Irena Wrońska,Magda Kamila Pawelec,Tomasz Plech

doi:10.3390/ijerph17072389

Abstract

Introduction: People’s self-esteem and public perception of senior citizens both play important roles in perceiving old age. The public perception manifests itself in adopting specific attitudes toward the elderly. Aim of the work: The work aimed at attempting to specify how adults and the elderly perceive old age. Material and method: The diagnostic poll method was employed as the main research tool, whereas the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Questionnaire by Morris Rosenberg and the Kogan’s Attitudes toward Old People Scale, as well as authors’ own sociodemographic variables metrics, were used as research tools. The investigation was administered in a cohort of 206 people living in Poland. Results: The average number of points on the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Questionnaire by Morris Rosenberg (SES) was 29.01 (SD = 4.24). People over the age of 60 (M = 30.07 points), males (M = 32.05 points), those in a relationship (M = 30.22 points), declaring higher education (M = 30.33 points), and a good material situation (M = 30.12 points) enjoyed higher self-esteem. The average number of points on the Kogan’s Attitudes toward Old People Scale (KAOP) in the research cohort was 126.48. The assessment of the elderly was higher among those below 60 (M = 127.06), females (M = 127.29), those in a relationship (M = 129.78), those declaring higher education (M = 128.56), and those in a good material situation (M = 126.99). Conclusions: Respondents perceived old age positively, albeit at a low level. It is necessary to review activities undertaken in the sphere of social policy in Poland because activities undertaken to date are failing to improve old age perception. Actions need to be undertaken aiming at raising self-esteem level in Polish senior citizens, and available financial, social, and psychological resources from the government and community associations should all be used to this end.

Highlights

People’s self-esteem and public perception of senior citizens both play important roles in perceiving old age
The Kogan’s Attitudes toward Old People Scale (KAOP) questionnaire consists of 34 statements, 17 of which are positive and the further 17 are negative
Educational actions need to be taken to prepare for old age, through old age, and in old age [5]

Summary

Introduction

Old age and the related process of growing old concerns every person. In 2017, the number of people over 65 years of age exceeded the number of children below 5 years of age [1]. The individual dimension, e.g., self-esteem, and the communal dimension, e.g., the perception of seniors in the society, both play significant roles in perceiving old age. They both lead to shaping specific attitudes toward seniors. According to the research administered in Poland in 2007, elderly people face varied attitudes, negative ones seem to predominate in most communities (except the of kin, neighbors, and local parishes) [13]. This approach is frequently triggered by stereotypical perceptions of old age. There are no reports on attitudes toward old age among adult and elderly people in various stages of their lives

Material and Method

Results

Discussion

Conclusions