Predicting Students’ Interest in Aging-Related Careers: Suggestions for Pedagogical Intervention

Abstract College students often hold negative attitudes toward elders and rank this area of practice at the bottom of their future professional life; colleges and universities have an important role to play in changing attitudes and attracting more professionals to work with older adults. This study examined factors contributing to students’ attitudes toward older adults to provide suggestions for pedagogical intervention. Data was collected from 195 undergraduates participating in an online survey with questions on the quality of relationships with a grandparent and other nonfamilial older adults, previous experience and future interest in pursuing a career in an aging-related field, and The Fabroni Scale of Ageism (Fabroni et al., 2010). Path analyses using hierarchical multiple regression revealed that high quality relationships with older adults (i.e., both grandparents and nonfamilial elders) was associated with less negative attitudes and more interest in pursuing a future career in age-related jobs/internships. Although both types of relationship quality were significant in the model (p<.05), path coefficients demonstrated that relationships with nonfamilial elders have a greater impact on participants’ attitudes (β= -.250, p=.001 versus β= -.146, p=.045). Previous working/internship experiences with older adults also predicted a greater willingness to pursue a future career in an aging-related field (β= .333, p<.001). Findings suggest that colleges could increase students’ interest in pursuing aging-related careers with multiple interventions, such as developing opportunities to interact and build relationships with older adults in the community, updating information on job opportunities, pay scales, and advancement opportunities, and providing more gerontological course or modules.

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IMPACT OF MULTIMEDIA ASSISTED TEACHING ON STUDENT ATTITUDES TO SCIENCE SUBJECTS

Journal of Baltic Science Education ◽

10.33225/jbse/14.13.361 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 361-380

Author(s):

Ján Záhorec ◽

Alena Hašková ◽

Martin Bílek

Keyword(s):

Student Attitudes ◽

Teaching Materials ◽

Negative Attitudes ◽

Pedagogical Intervention ◽

Multimedia Teaching ◽

School Subjects ◽

Science School ◽

The Difference ◽

Students Attitudes ◽

Research Students

During the last decades, multimedia assisted teaching has expanded to all types and levels of schools. The authors dealt with a question whether there is a possibility through the application of multimedia teaching materials in the natural science school subjects to eliminate students' negative attitudes to these subjects. To answer this question, a research was carried out in which the attention was paid to possibilities to eliminate students` negative attitudes to physics as the most unpopular school subject. The authors show how various aspects of students` opinion on physics can be changed due to the use of animations and interactive simulations of the physical phenomena in the teaching process. For the pedagogical intervention two kinds of multimedia teaching materials were used. The difference between them was in the level of their interactivity. Within the research students` attitudes to physics through the given explored aspects were assessed twice, once before the multimedia teaching material pedagogical intervention and the second time after it. As the research results show, although it is possible to certain rate to eliminate students` negative attitudes to physics, this possible elimination depends also on the level of the intractivity of the used multimedia teaching materials. Key words: change of the attitudes, multimedia assisted teaching, negative attitudes to school subjects, teaching physics.

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Media Portrayals of Emerging and Older Adults during COVID-19: Perceptions of Bias Among College Students

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.2298 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 602-602

Author(s):

Taylor Pestritto ◽

Katherine King ◽

Mikala Mikrut ◽

Kirsten Graham

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Young Adults ◽

Emerging Adults ◽

Online Survey ◽

Age Groups ◽

Media Consumption ◽

Media Portrayals ◽

Age Related ◽

The Media ◽

Qualitative Responses

Abstract This study explores media consumption and perceptions of media bias against both older adults and emerging adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of a larger study, 99 students with a mean age of 20.54 (SD = 2.97) completed an online survey in early 2020. Individuals whose media consumption had increased were significantly more likely to report that young adults have been portrayed worse, and older adults better, since the start of COVID-19. Qualitative responses demonstrated broad awareness of ageist and adultist themes in media portrayals of both age groups, e.g., that young adults are careless and reckless whereas older adults are vulnerable and in need of protection. Results suggest that the media is perceived to be perpetuating age-related biases and may be enhancing intergenerational discord at a time when generational unity is needed.

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Psychometric Properties of the PHQ-9 and CESD-R Depression Measures with Older Adults

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.3258 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 882-882

Author(s):

Emma Katz ◽

Rachael Spalding ◽

Barry Edelstein

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Psychometric Properties ◽

Online Survey ◽

Satisfaction With Life ◽

Depression Scale ◽

Internal Consistency Reliability ◽

Epidemiological Studies ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Assessment Instruments ◽

Age Related

Abstract Our understanding of older adult depression has been impeded by the paucity of assessment instruments with validity evidence for older adults. Therefore, measures of depression that were initially developed for use with younger adults are commonly used with older adults as well, such as the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale-Revised (CESD-R; Eaton et al., 2004) and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9; Kroenke, Spitzer, & Williams, 2001). The CESD-R (Jiang et al., 2019; Van Dam & Earleywine, 2011) and PHQ-9 (Indu et al., 2018; Levis, Benedetti, & Thombs, 2019) have strong psychometric support for their use with young adults, and are two frequently used depression measures. In light of age-related differences in the experience and presentation of depression (e.g., Balsamo, et al., 2015; Fiske, Wetherell, & Gatz, 2009; Hybels, Laderman, & Blazer, 2012; Wuthrich, Johnco & Wetherell, 2015), the present study examined the psychometric properties of these instruments with older adults. Two-hundred-and-seventy-seven older adults (ages 65 and older) completed an online survey including the PHQ-9, CESD-R, and instruments measuring several other constructs with anticipated relations to depression (anxiety, general depression, positive and negative affect, self-esteem, personality traits, and satisfaction with life). The relation between the two depression scales and measures of the other constructs were examined. Both the PHQ-9 and CESD-R evidenced good internal consistency reliability (a = .82 and .83, respectively) and strong correlations in anticipated directions with many of the related constructs. These results support the use of the CESD-R and PHQ-9 with community-dwelling older adults.

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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety in Cognitively Intact Older Adults

Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy ◽

10.1891/0889-8391.31.1.57 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 31 (1) ◽

pp. 57-71 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Viviana M. Wuthrich

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy ◽

Behavioral Therapy ◽

Cognitive Behavioral ◽

Cognitive Changes ◽

Negative Attitudes ◽

Age Related ◽

Physical Abilities ◽

The Individual ◽

Meta Analyses

This article discusses potential adaptations to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) needed when working with older adults. Although CBT has been demonstrated to be efficacious in older anxious populations in meta-analyses, more research is needed to better understand the efficacy of CBT for the individual anxiety disorders, for older adults aged 80 years and older, and the efficacy of individual CBT elements. Despite normal age-related reductions in cognitive and physical abilities, most research suggests that only minor adaptations to CBT, if any, are needed for older adults. More significant adaptations relate to therapist attitudes and beliefs rather than the pragmatic CBT delivery, for example, negative attitudes related to aging and the likely benefit of CBT. Despite normal age-related declines in some cognitive domains, research to date suggests that normal cognitive changes do not significantly impact on treatment outcomes over the course of CBT; a case example is presented.

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Closeness to friends explains age differences in positive emotional experience during the lockdown period of COVID-19 pandemic

Aging Clinical and Experimental Research ◽

10.1007/s40520-021-01927-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Elena Cavallini ◽

Alessia Rosi ◽

Floris Tijmen van Vugt ◽

Irene Ceccato ◽

Filippo Rapisarda ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Age Differences ◽

Online Survey ◽

Emotional Experience ◽

Daily Activities ◽

Stressful Situation ◽

Emotional Experiences ◽

Emotional Wellbeing ◽

Social Closeness ◽

Age Related

Abstract Background Studies on age differences in emotional states during the COVID-19 pandemic showed that older adults experienced greater emotional wellbeing compared to younger adults. We hypothesized these age differences to be related to the perception of closeness to family/friends or the engagement in daily activities during the pandemic. Aim To investigate age differences in positive and negative emotional experiences and whether the perception of closeness to family/friends and the engagement in daily activities during pandemic explained such age-related differences. Methods Through a cross-sectional study, 1,457 adults aged 18–87 years old completed an online survey assessing positive and negative emotional experiences, the perception of more closeness to family/friends, and daily activities that participants started/re-started during the pandemic. Results Increasing age was associated with more positive and less negative emotional experiences. Age differences in positive emotional experience were explained by the perception of more closeness to friends and not by the engagement in daily activities. For negative emotional experience age, differences remained significant even after accounting for the perception of closeness to family/friends and engagements in daily activities. Discussion Older adults’ greater overall level of positive emotional experience was explained by their greater perception of more closeness to friends. We speculate that social closeness provides a coping mechanism to increase emotional wellbeing employed especially in older adults. Conclusion Our findings reinforce the link between perceived social closeness and emotional wellbeing especially in older adults. To cope with stressful situation, it is important to encourage older adults to increase the closeness to their social network.

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Interaction Effect of Subjective Health and Attitude about Aging on Gerontechnology Acceptance

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igab046.2480 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 661-661

Author(s):

Hayoung Park ◽

Susanna Joo ◽

Kwang Joon Kim ◽

Chang Oh Kim ◽

Yun Mook Lim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Interaction Effect ◽

Online Survey ◽

Intervention Program ◽

Subjective Health ◽

Self Assessment ◽

Negative Attitudes ◽

Positive Attitudes ◽

Gender Education ◽

Independent Variable

Abstract This study examined the interaction effect of subjective health and attitude about aging on gerontechnology acceptance among Korean older adults. The sample was 310 Korean older adults aged 65 and above without cognitive impairment who completed an online survey. The dependent variable was the attitude about gerontechnology, especially an exoskeleton robot for exercise. The independent variable was subjective health measured by the questions about self-reported health conditions. The moderating variable was the attitude about aging, which was measured by asking how much they feel less useful as they age. Covariates were age, gender, education level, employment status, income, and marital status. The results from the regression analyses using PROCESS macro and bootstrapping showed that the interaction effect of subjective health and attitude about aging is significant for gerontechnology acceptance; when older adults consider themselves less useful as they age, they tend to have positive attitudes about gerontechnology despite their subjective health. However, of those who consider that they are not less useful as they age, they tend to have positive attitudes about gerontechnology only when they consider themselves unhealthy. Thus, they tend to have negative attitudes about gerontechnology when they consider themselves healthy and useful. The findings imply that gerontechnology-based exercise programs or interventions could be welcomed by those who consider themselves unhealthy and think they are useless as they age. Also, the findings suggest that when applying an intervention program using gerontechnology, health status and self-assessment of aging should be considered in advance.

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The Assessment of Attitudes of Students at Medical Schools towards Psychiatry and Psychiatric Patients—A Cross-Sectional Online Survey

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18094425 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (9) ◽

pp. 4425

Author(s):

Mateusz Babicki ◽

Krzysztof Kowalski ◽

Bogna Bogudzińska ◽

Patryk Piotrowski

Keyword(s):

Online Survey ◽

Tertiary Education ◽

Psychiatric Patients ◽

Medical Schools ◽

Field Of Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Negative Attitudes ◽

Psychometric Tool ◽

Students Attitudes ◽

Direct Student

The aim of the study was the assessment of the level of stigmatisation of psychiatric patients and psychiatry as a field of study by students at medical schools in Poland and the comparison of students’ attitudes over the years. The study was conducted based on a proprietary questionnaire assessing the stage of tertiary education, sociodemographic status, and MICA-2 psychometric tool that is used for assessing both the attitudes of students at medical schools towards psychiatry as a field of study and patients with mental health disorders. According to the MICA score, those who have higher scores have more negative attitudes towards psychiatry. The survey consisted of two rounds at an interval of 3 years. Results. The first-round survey, conducted in 2017, involved 480 students. The second-round survey, conducted in 2020, involved 573 students. In both cases, women constituted the vast majority of respondents. Women, as well as medical major students, achieved significantly lower scores than men p < 0.001. The said relationship was also observed for individual experience with mental illness. There was no correlation between the MICA-2 total score and the psychiatry course completion—p = 0.105. However, the levels of stigmatisation are still high. The implementation of educational methods to improve the perception of psychiatric patients by students at medical schools should be taken into consideration. An increase in direct student–patient contact, for example, by means of intensive elective classes, could be beneficial.

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The Impact of TimeSlips on Undergraduate Students in Service Learning With Older Adults

Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups ◽

10.1044/2020_persp-20-00171 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

Sabine Heuer

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Service Learning ◽

Undergraduate Students ◽

Attitude Scale ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Attitudes Toward Older Adults ◽

Students Attitudes ◽

Attitude Shift ◽

The Impact ◽

Journal Entries

Purpose Future speech-language pathologists are often unprepared in their academic training to serve the communicative and cognitive needs of older adults with dementia. While negative attitudes toward older adults are prevalent among undergraduate students, service learning has been shown to positively affect students' attitudes toward older adults. TimeSlips is an evidence-based approach that has been shown to improve health care students' attitudes toward older adults. The purpose of this study is to explore the change in attitudes in speech-language pathology students toward older adults using TimeSlips in service learning. Method Fifty-one students participated in TimeSlips service learning with older adults and completed the Dementia Attitude Scale (DAS) before and after service learning. In addition, students completed a reflection journal. The DAS data were analyzed using nonparametric statistics, and journal entries were analyzed using a qualitative analysis approach. Results The service learners exhibited a significant increase in positive attitude as indexed on the DAS. The reflective journal entries supported the positive change in attitudes. Conclusions A noticeable attitude shift was indexed in reflective journals and on the DAS. TimeSlips is an evidence-based, patient-centered approach well suited to address challenges in the preparation of Communication Sciences and Disorders students to work with the growing population of older adults.

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Age-Related Differences in Processing Dynamic Information to Identify Vowel Quality

Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research ◽

10.1044/jshr.3504.892 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 35 (4) ◽

pp. 892-902 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Robert Allen Fox ◽

Lida G. Wall ◽

Jeanne Gokcen

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Vowel Quality ◽

Perceptual Cues ◽

Dynamic Information ◽

Process Dynamic ◽

Center Condition ◽

Age Related ◽

Control Version ◽

Older Subjects ◽

Whole Word

This study examined age-related differences in the use of dynamic acoustic information (in the form of formant transitions) to identify vowel quality in CVCs. Two versions of 61 naturally produced, commonly occurring, monosyllabic English words were created: a control version (the unmodified whole word) and a silent-center version (in which approximately 62% of the medial vowel was replaced by silence). A group of normal-hearing young adults (19–25 years old) and older adults (61–75 years old) identified these tokens. The older subjects were found to be significantly worse than the younger subjects at identifying the medial vowel and the initial and final consonants in the silent-center condition. These results support the hypothesis of an age-related decrement in the ability to process dynamic perceptual cues in the perception of vowel quality.

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Activity Engagement in Cognitive Aging: A Review of the Evidence

Perspectives on Neurophysiology and Neurogenic Speech and Language Disorders ◽

10.1044/nnsld23.1.35 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 23 (1) ◽

pp. 1-12 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Yvonne Rogalski ◽

Muriel Quintana

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Cognitive Decline ◽

Cognitive Aging ◽

Social Activity ◽

Current Evidence ◽

Omega 3 ◽

Neuroprotective Effects ◽

Activity Engagement ◽

Age Related ◽

Age Related Cognitive Decline

The population of older adults is rapidly increasing, as is the number and type of products and interventions proposed to prevent or reduce the risk of age-related cognitive decline. Advocacy and prevention are part of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s (ASHA’s) scope of practice documents, and speech-language pathologists must have basic awareness of the evidence contributing to healthy cognitive aging. In this article, we provide a brief overview outlining the evidence on activity engagement and its effects on cognition in older adults. We explore the current evidence around the activities of eating and drinking with a discussion on the potential benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, polyphenols, alcohol, and coffee. We investigate the evidence on the hypothesized neuroprotective effects of social activity, the evidence on computerized cognitive training, and the emerging behavioral and neuroimaging evidence on physical activity. We conclude that actively aging using a combination of several strategies may be our best line of defense against cognitive decline.

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