Other Titles
Rising Star Poster/Presentation
Abstract
Background: The population of older adults in the United States is increasing and will require an increase in the number of nurses to care for this population. Evidence suggests that there are many biases, stereotypes, and myths associated with the older adult population, which influence nursing students’ attitudes toward working with this population.
Aim: Our aim was to assess the effect of an aging adult educational intervention on second-semester sophomore nursing students’ knowledge and attitudes toward older adults.
Method: This one-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design with qualitative questions was conducted at a college within the northeastern United States. Undergraduate second-semester sophomore nursing students, N = 35, were recruited to participate using convenience sampling. The 80-minute intervention consisted of an existing aging adult module, which is part of the undergraduate nursing curriculum and included readings, lecture, AI assignment, discussion, role-play, and video reflection. The Palmore’s Facts on Aging Quiz (FAQ) and Perspectives on Caring for Older Patients Scale (PCOP) were used to assess participants’ knowledge and attitudes toward older adults. Data analysis used descriptive statistics and t-tests. Qualitative comments were analyzed for themes.
Results: There was a statistically significant increase in the PCOP scores from pretest (M = 31.8, SD = 5.93) to posttest (M = 34.86, SD = 5.78), t (34) = -5.67, p <.001 (two-tailed). A statistically significant increase was also observed in the FAQ scores from pretest (M = 31.74, SD =2.99) to posttest (M = 33.57, SD = 4.71), t (34) = -2.09, p = .004 (two-tailed). Students mainly described older adults as wise, time consuming, and stubborn. They reported family stories, observation, and clinical experience as shaping their attitude toward older adults.
Conclusion: Findings suggest that an educational intervention targeted towards the aging adult population can significantly improve nursing students’ knowledge and attitudes toward older adults.
Notes
References:
Breytspraak, L. & Badura, L. (2015). Facts on Aging Quiz (revised; based on Palmore (1977; 1981)).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Older Adults.” Chronic Disease Indicators,
12 June 2024, www.cdc.gov/cdi/indicator-definitions/older-adults.html.
Burbank, P. M., Burkholder, G. J., & Dugas, J. (2018). Development of the perspectives on caring for older patients scale: psychometric analyses. Applied Nursing Research, 43, 98-104.
Dahlke, S., Pietrosanu, M., Butler, J. I., Hunter, K. F., & Martin, L. S. (2023). Understanding Canadian student nurse’s perspectives of older adults: A pre-post design. Perspectives: The Journal of the Canadian Gerontological Nursing Association, 44(2).
López-Hernández, L., Martínez-Arnau, F. M., Castellano-Rioja, E., Botella-Navas, M., & Pérez-Ros, P. (2021, September). Factors affecting attitudes towards older people in undergraduate nursing students. In Healthcare (Vol. 9, No. 9, p. 1231). Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute.
Scerri, A., & Schembri, P. (2022). Acute medical and surgical nurses’ knowledge and attitudes
towards ageing and older persons. Educational Gerontology, 48(5), 224-236
Sigma Membership
Delta Upsilon at-Large
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Quasi-Experimental Study, Other
Research Approach
Mixed/Multi Method Research
Keywords:
Nursing Students, Attitudes Toward Aging, Student Attitudes, Elder Care, Older Patients
Recommended Citation
Fernandes, Desiree L. and Fearon-Lynch, Jennifer A., "Assessing Nursing Students' Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Older Adults" (2026). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 114.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2026/posters_2026/114
Conference Name
37th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Conference Year
2026
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Invited Presentation
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-09-24
Assessing Nursing Students' Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Older Adults
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Background: The population of older adults in the United States is increasing and will require an increase in the number of nurses to care for this population. Evidence suggests that there are many biases, stereotypes, and myths associated with the older adult population, which influence nursing students’ attitudes toward working with this population.
Aim: Our aim was to assess the effect of an aging adult educational intervention on second-semester sophomore nursing students’ knowledge and attitudes toward older adults.
Method: This one-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design with qualitative questions was conducted at a college within the northeastern United States. Undergraduate second-semester sophomore nursing students, N = 35, were recruited to participate using convenience sampling. The 80-minute intervention consisted of an existing aging adult module, which is part of the undergraduate nursing curriculum and included readings, lecture, AI assignment, discussion, role-play, and video reflection. The Palmore’s Facts on Aging Quiz (FAQ) and Perspectives on Caring for Older Patients Scale (PCOP) were used to assess participants’ knowledge and attitudes toward older adults. Data analysis used descriptive statistics and t-tests. Qualitative comments were analyzed for themes.
Results: There was a statistically significant increase in the PCOP scores from pretest (M = 31.8, SD = 5.93) to posttest (M = 34.86, SD = 5.78), t (34) = -5.67, p <.001 (two-tailed). A statistically significant increase was also observed in the FAQ scores from pretest (M = 31.74, SD =2.99) to posttest (M = 33.57, SD = 4.71), t (34) = -2.09, p = .004 (two-tailed). Students mainly described older adults as wise, time consuming, and stubborn. They reported family stories, observation, and clinical experience as shaping their attitude toward older adults.
Conclusion: Findings suggest that an educational intervention targeted towards the aging adult population can significantly improve nursing students’ knowledge and attitudes toward older adults.
Description
This poster provides an overview of a student-led research project that assessed the impact of an educational intervention on undergraduate nursing students’ knowledge and attitudes toward older adults. Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions about the study methodology, findings, and implications.