School of Nursing, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, Anhui Province, China.
School of Nursing, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100144, China.
Nurse Educ Today. 2023 Mar;122:105740. doi: 10.1016/j.nedt.2023.105740. Epub 2023 Jan 26.
Healthcare professionals often ignore sexuality in aging and avoid discussing related topics, especially in China. Nursing students, as future professionals, can address the sexuality of older adults encountered in clinical practice by establishing positive attitudes toward aging sexuality. Previous studies have demonstrated that contact has positive impacts on nursing students' attitudes toward aging sexuality. However, little is known about the mechanism underlying this relationship between contact and attitudes.
To explore the mediating effects of ageism and knowledge on the relationship between contact and nursing students' attitudes toward aging sexuality.
This was a cross-sectional study.
The study was conducted at a nursing school in Hefei city, China.
614 nursing students completed online-administered questionnaires measuring the level of contact with older adults, ageism, knowledge, and attitudes toward aging sexuality. Data were analyzed using SPSS and AMOS.
The mean scores for knowledge and attitudes toward aging sexuality were 85.70 (SD = 16.39) and 104.91 (SD = 14.88), respectively. Overall, our findings confirmed that these hypotheses were accepted. Ageism (β = -0.079, P = 0.007) and knowledge (β = -0.070, P < 0.001) mediated the relationship between contact and attitude.
Given the mediating role of ageism and knowledge in the relationship between contact and attitude, reducing ageism and enhancing knowledge are vital to changing students' attitudes, including integrating ageism and aging sexuality knowledge learning into the nursing curriculum and creating opportunities for contact with older adults. The frequency and quality of contact between nursing students and older adults can be improved by rationalizing the internship duration, tasks, and assessment objectives of placements on geriatric wards and by the role of clinical faculty role models in cultivating positive attitudes toward aging sexuality.
医疗保健专业人员在老龄化过程中常常忽略性问题，避免讨论相关话题，尤其是在中国。护理学生作为未来的专业人员，可以通过对临床实践中遇到的老年人的性问题建立积极的态度来解决。以前的研究表明，接触对护理学生对老龄化性的态度有积极影响。然而，对于接触与态度之间的这种关系的机制知之甚少。
探讨接触对护理学生对老龄化性态度的影响中，年龄歧视和知识的中介作用。
这是一项横断面研究。
在中国合肥市的一所护理学校。
614 名护理学生完成了在线问卷调查，内容包括与老年人接触的程度、年龄歧视、知识和对老龄化性的态度。使用 SPSS 和 AMOS 进行数据分析。
知识和对老龄化性态度的平均得分为 85.70（SD=16.39）和 104.91（SD=14.88）。总的来说，我们的研究结果证实了这些假设。年龄歧视（β=-0.079，P=0.007）和知识（β=-0.070，P<0.001）在接触与态度之间起中介作用。
鉴于接触与态度之间的关系中年龄歧视和知识的中介作用，减少年龄歧视和增强知识对于改变学生的态度至关重要，包括将年龄歧视和老龄化性知识学习纳入护理课程以及为护理学生创造与老年人接触的机会。通过合理化老年病房实习的时间、任务和评估目标，以及临床教师在培养对老龄化性的积极态度方面的榜样作用，可以提高护理学生与老年人接触的频率和质量。
