The Arabic version of the Kogan Attitudes toward Older People Scale among Saudi nursing students: a psychometric analysis

BACKGROUND: With the steadily increasing size of its elderly population, Saudi Arabia is currently trying to meet the demands for competent care for older people. However, the lack of a valid and reliable measurement instrument in the Arab Peninsula hinders related studies among nursing students in this part of the globe. Given the importance of nursing students’ attitudes toward working with older people, a specialized tool that can provide an accurate assessment of students’ attitudes toward older adults is necessary. OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the psychometric properties of the Kogan Attitudes towards Older People Arabic version (KAOP-A) among Saudi nursing students. DESIGN: Descriptive, cross-sectional. SETTING: Nursing department of a government university. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Using total population sampling, Saudi nursing students were surveyed using the KAOP-A. The tool was culturally adapted to the Arabic language using a forward and backward method. Content and construct validity were established accordingly. The internal consistency was established to support the reliability of the tool. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The validity and reliability of the KAOP-A. SAMPLE SIZE: 164 nursing students. RESULTS: The KAOP-A had acceptable content and construct validity. The Exploratory Factor Analysis supported a two-factor solution for the KAOP-A with an explained variance of 60.12%. The computed Cronbach’s alpha for the entire scale was 0.89. The mean score of the KAOP-A scale was 121.55 (SD=26.92, range=40–204), indicating a slightly positive attitude toward aging among the students. Nursing students belonging to extended type of family and living in rural community, as well as older students and students who reported higher degree of closeness with their grandparents, exhibited more positive attitudes towards older people. CONCLUSION: The tool can be used to accurately assess student attitudes towards older people, which can inform the creation of educational policies and interventions geared towards creating a more positive outlook on older adult care among nursing students in Saudi Arabia. LIMITATIONS: We did not perform test and re-test reliability analysis.