Investigation of Nurses' Attitudes towards Older Adults and Ageism during the COVID-19 Epidemic Period

Abstract

Objective: The present study was carried out to determine nurses’ attitudes towards older adults and ageism during the COVID-19 epidemic. Method: This cross-sectional, descriptive and correlational study conducted between July 15, 2020 and August 15, 2020. To collect the study data, online questionnaires sent to the nurses. Of the nurses, 211 who responded to the questionnaires and met the inclusion criteria included in the study. Results: In the study, the mean score the participating nurses obtained from the Kogan Attitudes towards Old People Scale (KOPS) was high (104.90±13.23). While some of the participating nurses displayed a positive attitude towards older adults, some displayed a negative attitude. The mean score the participating nurses obtained from the Age Discrimination Attitude Scale (ADAS) was also high (71.96±3.88). While some of them exhibited positive discrimination attitude towards older adults, some of them displayed attitude of limiting the life of older adults. In the study, it was determined that the participating nurses’ displaying positive attitudes towards older adults increased the positive discrimination (p