Turkish Journal of Geriatrics 2015 , Vol 18, Issue 1
RESEARCH ON UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' ATTITUDES ABOUT ELDERS AND ELDER DISCRIMINATION
Hande ÅžAHÄ°N
Kırıkkale University, Department of Social Work, KIRIKKALE Introduction: This research was planned and conducted to determine the attitudes of university students toward elders and elder discrimination.

Materials and Method: The research sample consisted of 584 students studying in the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Karabük University. The study protocol was approved by the university research ethics committee and informed consent was obtained from all individuals who agreed to participate the study. Elder discrimination attitude scale was used as a data-gathering tool. This scale consisted of the following subdimensions-“limitation of the lives of elders,” “positive attitudes toward elders,” and “negative attitudes toward elders.”

Results: Of the students participating in the research study, 37.3% were males, and 62.7% were females. In the subdimension “limitation of the life of elders,” the most positive approach was “care of elders should not be seen as a financial burden by family members.” In the subdimension “positive attitudes toward elders,” the most positive attitude was shown to be that “priority should be given to elders in queues,” and in the subdimension “negative attitudes toward elders,” the most positive approach was that “the main responsibility of elders is helping their children with tasks such as household and kitchen chores and in the care of grandchildren.”

Conclusion: The study found that students in the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Karabük University had a positive approach toward elders and respected elders and cared about them. Keywords : Discrimination (Psychology); Aged; Students