Does Ageism Exist Among Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation Students? Predictors of Attitudes Toward Older Adults

BACKGROUND: With the growing population of older adults, the demand for health rehabilitation services has rapidly increased. Like many countries around the world, the older population in Saudi Arabia is increasing. Tackling ageism has powerful provenance for uncovering and changing the dynamics of contemporary aging in Saudi Arabia. This study examined the attitudes toward older adults and the potential predictors influencing these attitudes among multidisciplinary health rehabilitation students. METHODS: A total of 293 health rehabilitation students completed an online survey with a mean age of 21.1± 1.3 years. The survey included data about demographic and geriatric-related characteristics, attitudes toward older adults (UCLA-GA), knowledge of aging (FAQ) and aging anxiety (AAS). RESULTS: Most participants were female (70.3%), with 53% of the students specializing in physical therapy. The average score of attitudes toward older adults was 3.43 (0.40). The predictors of attitudes toward older adults were knowledge of aging (β = 0.34, p < 0.0001), living with older adults (β = 0.12, p = 0.02) and the importance of contact (very important, β = 0.31, p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: These results provide further evidence to support that ageist attitudes among students can be overcome by enhancing knowledge of aging and promoting positive contact with older adults. With the demographic shift in Saudi Arabia, we propose that there is a great need for establishing a competency-based geriatric education and strategies to enhance positive contact with older adults.