Ageism and nursing students, past or reality?: A systematic review

Leticia Allué-Sierra; Isabel Antón-Solanas; Beatriz Rodríguez-Roca; Ana Anguas-Gracia; Emmanuel Echániz-Serrano; María Teresa Fernández-Rodrigo; Carlos Navas-Ferrer; Ana Belén Subirón-Valera; Fernando Urcola-Pardo; Pedro J Satústegui-Dordá

doi:10.1016/j.nedt.2023.105739

Ageism and nursing students, past or reality?: A systematic review

Nurse Educ Today. 2023 Mar:122:105739. doi: 10.1016/j.nedt.2023.105739. Epub 2023 Jan 27.

Affiliations

¹ Doctoral programme in Health Sciences at the University of Zaragoza, Spain.
² Department of Physiatry and Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Zaragoza, C/Domingo Miral s/n, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain; Research group Nursing Research in Primary Care in Aragón (GENIAPA) (GIIS094), Institute of Research of Aragón, Zaragoza, Spain. Electronic address: ianton@unizar.es.
³ Department of Physiatry and Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Zaragoza, C/Domingo Miral s/n, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain. Electronic address: brodriguez@unizar.es.
⁴ Department of Physiatry and Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Zaragoza, C/Domingo Miral s/n, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain; Research group Water and Environmental Health (B43_20R), University Institute of Research in Environmental Science of Aragón, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain; Research group Safety and Care (GIISA0021), Institute of Research of Aragón, Zaragoza, Spain. Electronic address: aanguas@unizar.es.
⁵ Department of Physiatry and Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Zaragoza, C/Domingo Miral s/n, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain. Electronic address: eechaniz@unizar.es.
⁶ Department of Physiatry and Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Zaragoza, C/Domingo Miral s/n, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain; Research group Water and Environmental Health (B43_20R), University Institute of Research in Environmental Science of Aragón, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain. Electronic address: maitefer@unizar.es.
⁷ Department of Physiatry and Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Zaragoza, C/Domingo Miral s/n, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain. Electronic address: cnavasf@unizar.es.
⁸ Department of Physiatry and Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Zaragoza, C/Domingo Miral s/n, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain; Research group Water and Environmental Health (B43_20R), University Institute of Research in Environmental Science of Aragón, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain. Electronic address: subiron@unizar.es.
⁹ Department of Physiatry and Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Zaragoza, C/Domingo Miral s/n, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain; Research group Water and Environmental Health (B43_20R), University Institute of Research in Environmental Science of Aragón, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain. Electronic address: furcola@unizar.es.
¹⁰ Department of Physiatry and Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Zaragoza, C/Domingo Miral s/n, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain; Research group Water and Environmental Health (B43_20R), University Institute of Research in Environmental Science of Aragón, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain. Electronic address: pjsd@unizar.es.

PMID: 36731247
DOI: 10.1016/j.nedt.2023.105739

Abstract

Objective: This systematic review aimed to summarise and update existing knowledge about ageism among nursing students through the following research question: what is the perception and attitudes of ageism among student nurses?

Design: A systematic review of longitudinal and cross-sectional studies of ageism in nursing students was carried out.

Data sources: The literature search was conducted in the scientific databases Pubmed and Scopus in February 2021.

Review methods: After the screening process, 22 studies meeting the selection criteria were selected; 8 more were identified after manually searching the selected paper' reference lists. A total of 30 studies were included in the review. The JBI Critical Appraisal Checklists for Analytical Cross-Sectional studies and for Cohort Studies were used to appraise the articles' quality.

Results: There was large variability in the manifestation of ageism among student nurses, as well as in the instruments used for assessment. Most of the articles analysed attitudes towards old age, the majority of which were positive. Being a female student, being on the final year of study and having regular contact or cohabitation with an older adult were three of the main determinants in the expression of positive attitudes towards the elderly.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that student nurses generally have positive attitudes towards old age, although ageist beliefs and discriminatory behaviours were identified and should be studied in greater depth. Training programs for future care professionals have a responsibility to educate from a non-stereotypical perspective based on current societal needs.

Keywords: Aged; Ageism; Aging; Attitudes; Nursing students.

Publication types

Systematic Review
Review

MeSH terms

Aged
Ageism*
Attitude of Health Personnel
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Humans
Students, Nursing*