Ageism: College Students

ISSN:1306-3111 e-Journal of New World Sciences Academy 2011, Volume: 6, Number: 1, Article Number: 3C0063 SOCIAL SCIENCES Received: October 2010 Accepted: January 2011 Series : 3C ISSN : 1308-7444 © 2010 www.newwsa.com Yasemin Özkan AyĢe Sezen Bayoğlu Ankara University Ankara-Turkey AGEISM: COLLEGE STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS ABOUT OLDER PEOPLE ABSTRACT Old age is generally defined as a social phenomenon accompanied by prejudices, stereotypes and negative images. Despite the arguement that in recent years a social process of positive change is taking place in the perception of the elderly, the negative image is still the most frequent among all age groups, including the young people. This research was planned and carried out to determine college students‟ perceptions about older people and ageist attitudes towards them. The data were obtained using a questionnairewas administered to students enrolled in different courses at universities in city of Ankara. The convenient sample of 278 volunteers consisted of 141 women and 137 men, ranging in age from 17 to 32 years. Results from the “Froboni Scale of Ageism” suggest that female and male students were quite similar in the ageist behaviors. Findings also stated that altough male students mean scores were some more higher than females‟, gender was not statistically correlated with ageism. Keywords: Ageism, perceptions, attitudes, elderly, gender. YAġLI AYRIMCILIĞI: ÜNĠVERSĠTE ÖĞRENCĠLERĠNĠN YAġLILARA ĠLĠġKĠN ALGILARI ÖZET Yaşlılık çağı basmakalıp önyargılar ve olumsuz imaja eşlik eden sosyal bir fenomen olarak tanımlanmaktadır. Son yıllarda yaşlılık algısında olumlu değişimlere ilişkin bir tartışma olsa da, gençleri içeren tüm yaş grupları arasında negatif imaj hala en yaygındır. Bu araştırma üniversite öğrencilerinin yaşlı insanlar ve yaşlılığa ilişkin algılarını belirlemek amacı ile planlanmış ve yürütülmüştür. Araştırma verileri Ankara‟da iki farklı üniversitede öğrenim gören, 17-32 yaş aralığında, 141 kız ve 137 erkek olmak üzere toplam 278 gönüllü öğrenci üzerinde soru formu kullanılarak elde edilmiştir. “Fraboni Yaşlı Ayrımcılığı Ölçeği” sonuçları kız ve erkek öğrencilerin oldukça benzer yaşlı ayrımcısı davranışlara sahip olduklarını göstermektedir. Bulgular ayrıca bu tutumlar konusunda erkek öğrencilerin ortalama puanlarının, kız öğrencilere oranla daha yüksek olduğunu ortaya koymakla birlikte yaşlı ayrımcılığı ile toplumsal cinsiyet arasında istatistiksel açıdan ilişki bulunmamıştır. Anahtar Kelimeler: Yaşlı Ayrımcılığı, Algılar, Tutumlar, Yaşlılar, Toplumsal Cinsiyet E-Journal of New World Sciences Academy Social Sciences, 3C0063, 6, (1), 107-115. Özkan, Y. and Bayoğlu, A.S. 1. INTRODUCTION (GĠRĠġ) As in most other countries, the proportion of older adults in Turkey has been increasing. Due to the rapidly growing population of older adults, universities must educate more students on the issues facing on aging society. To assist universities in educating new generations of workers who understand aging and older adults, it is important to understand aging and older adults and the current attitudes of students towards aging [1]. Ageism consists of behaviors, attitudes, and stereotypes of people based on their age. It is a form of discrimination [2 and 3]. and it portrays the aging process as inevitable deterioration, resulting in uselessness and an inability to be productive [3]. People of all ages are familiar with the term ageism, which refers to any form of prejudice or discrimination based on chronological age [4]. Ageism is an immense construct with multiple facets, layers, and textures which impacts both attitudes and personal behavior towards older people [5 and 4]. Some ageist ascriptions are positive, whereas most attributions are negative [5]. Ageism can lead to ageist discourse, expressed ageist attitudes, and discriminatory practices based on age, which have been shown to cause lowered self efficacy, decreased performance, and cardiovascular stress[6]. Ageist attributions have many implications for aging populations. At the level of direct practice, for example, depression and substance abuseare areas of critical concern [5]. Attitudes toward elders have been studied among a variety of health care professionals and students, including psychiatrists, nursing students, medical students, nursing home supervisors, occupational therapy students, institutional caregiving staff, home health care workers, nurse's aides, and college students in general. But researchers have devoted comparatively little attention to prejudice based on age: ageism. One might think that if there were any person who would be least likely to hold stereotypes about and be prejudiced against older people would be those whose job is to help them. But, research has shown that counselors, educators and other health professionals are just as likely to be prejudiced against older people as other individuals [7]. Wilderom et al. [8] surveyed 809 students in six successive entering classes at a medical school regarding their willingness to work with elders. Their findings indicated that although students' attitudes toward elders were essentially neutral, only 3% of those surveyed wished to pursue a career in geriatric medicine. There are also positive references in the literaturetowards old age and aging. Van Dussen and Weaver [1]. indicated that students have mixed attitudes toward working with older adults. They found working with older adults to be rewarding, gratifying, meaningful, uplifting, and fun. In spite of the growing need for gerontological specialists, the number of students who articulate a preference for work with older clients is minimal. Lack of gerontological interest among students may be a result of a lack of gerontological content, faculty with limited gerontological knowledge and experience, and little encouragement for students to pursue gerontological specialization [9]. 108 E-Journal of New World Sciences Academy Social Sciences, 3C0063, 6, (1), 107-115. Özkan, Y. and Bayoğlu, A.S. 2. RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE (ÇALIġMANIN ÖNEMĠ) As our population continues to age, the need to halt ageism and ageist practices becomes more urgent. From this point of view, this research was planned and carried out for determine the college students‟ perceptions about older people and their ageist attitudes towards them. The findings of this research are important for both gerontological specialist and educators who should review curriculum. 3. METHOD (YÖNTEM) 3.1. Subjects (Örneklem) During 2008/2009 academic year, a questionnaire was administered to students enrolled in different courses at universities in city of Ankara (including Ankara University, Gazi University and Hacettepe University). The convenient sample of 278 volunteers consisted of 141 women and 137 men, ranging in age from 17 to 32 years (mean= 21.81±2.29). 3.2. Measures (Ölçüm) The data were obtained using a questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of “socio-demographic (...truncated)