AN INVESTIGATION OF BELIEFS ABOUT OLD AGE AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS OLD PEOPLE: A MULTI-CENTERED STUDY

Abstract

Background: The study was designed as a descriptive study in order to investigate individuals’ beliefs about old age, attitudes towards old people, and factors affecting them. Methods: The population of the study consisted of a total of 636,703 people living in Kars, Artvin, Ağrı, Erzincan, Ardahan, and Iğdır city centers in 2018. A total of 1214 people were reached, but the sample of the study consisted of 1144 people because of the incomplete answers to the questionnaires. The “Personal information form,” “Genya Attitudes Towards Old People Scale,” and “Lomaşen Old Age Belief Scale” were used in the data collection stage. Results: The mean score of the Genya Attitudes Towards Old People Scale of the sample was 65.4, and the mean score of the Lomaşen Old Age Belief Scale was 75.8. Gender, marital status, and the place of residence were found to be significant in evaluating attitudes towards old people, but the family type was found to be insignificant. Beliefs about old age differ according to marital status, family type, and the place of residence, but not according to gender. The Genya Attitudes Towards Old People Scale shows a positive correlation with age and a negative correlation with educational status. The Lomaşen Old Age Belief Scale shows a positive correlation with age and a negative correlation with economic and educational status. A significant positive correlation was found between the Lomaşen Old Age Belief Scale and the Genya Attitudes Towards Old People Scale. Conclusions: It was concluded that the more negative the beliefs of individuals about old age are, the more negative their attitudes towards old people are.