College Students' Attitudes Toward the Elderly: an Exploratory Study in Turkey

Abstract

Old age, which has different meaning and importance for every human being, is a very special period of life. Elderly people are the most precious assets that bridge between yesterday and today and enable us to move our culture and values into tomorrow. This period is the era in which human life is most needed by interest and love. Elderly people want and desire a warm relationship and love and respect from their family members and their neighborhoods as a means of feeling engaged, involved, and appreciated. Being responsive to the needs and desires of the elderly and, in the process, re-observing our attitudes and behaviors towards them, are our humanitarian responsibilities. The physical, emotional, and attitudinal consequences of aging can create social problems if those who will have a least partial responsibility for care do not understand issues of aging. This research was conducted to determine the attitudes of university students towards elderly people and the variables that affect these attitudes. The study was conducted with 149 university students studying in different departments in 2017-2018 academic years. In the study, "Personal Information Form" and "Attitude Scale toward the Elderly" were used. As a result, it has been determined that the attitudes of the youth towards the elderly are generally positive, but the level of their positive attitude is low.