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Published on: January 24, 2020
Perceptions of Aging and Ageism Among Nursing Students at a Public Institution
Juliana Bernardo Machado1, Márcia Matos Souza1, Alice Regina Felipe Silva Djinan2
1Nursing Student, School of Nursing, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Aims:
To analyze nursing students' perceptions of the aging process and ageism at a public institution.
Design:
A descriptive qualitative study.
Methods:
A total of 29 nursing students were recruited from March to June 2024. The interviews were recorded and lasted an average of 40 min, being analyzed using a text database consisting of a full transcript of the interviews. The text corpus was analyzed using the Interface de R pour les Analyses Multidimensionnelles de Textes et de Questionnaires 0.6 alpha 3 software, Brazilian version, which produced a dendrogram.
Results:
The dendrogram showed six classes, based on the participants' statements: Class 4-Aging: a natural and complex process; Class 3-Resignification and wisdom in old age; Class 5-Positive and negative perspectives on aging; Class 2-Prejudice towards the social role of women in caregiving; Class 1-Infantilization of elderly people; and Class 6-Ageism in daily life.
Conclusion:
Encourage undergraduate students, during their training, to get closer to elderly people-either by increasing the number of classes covering current topics in the field of gerontology, seminars, or home visitations-consequently reducing the ageist aspects during their training as nurses.
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