Nursing students' knowledge and attitudes about dementia: A cross-sectional study

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Nursing Education
• Public Health

Background:

• The global aging population necessitates improved dementia care.
• Nursing students require adequate knowledge and positive attitudes for high-quality dementia care.
• Student attitudes directly influence empathetic and personalized care for individuals with dementia.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess nursing students' knowledge and attitudes towards dementia.
• To identify factors influencing nursing students' dementia knowledge and attitudes.
• To inform improvements in nursing education regarding dementia care.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study involving 784 nursing students across six Turkish universities.
• Data collected via socio-demographic questionnaire, Dementia Knowledge Assessment Scale, and Dementia Attitudes Scale.
• Statistical analysis included t-tests, ANOVA, and multiple linear regression to identify predictive factors.

Main Results:

• Students exhibited inadequate dementia knowledge (13.01/34) but moderately positive attitudes (82.53/100).
• Factors positively influencing knowledge included female gender, higher year of study, urban living, and prior dementia education.
• Dementia knowledge, urban living, and prior care experience positively impacted attitudes towards dementia.

Conclusions:

• Undergraduate nursing curricula in Turkiye require enhancement to improve dementia knowledge and attitudes.
• Increased duration and quality of dementia education, alongside clinical experience, are crucial for better student preparedness.
• Findings underscore the need for evidence-based educational strategies to foster competent and compassionate dementia care professionals.