Image of old age and the elderly in the opinion of a selected social group

Introduction The perception of elderly people is complex, diverse, multidimensional, and determined by many factors. Old age is often seen through the prism of numerous myths and stereotypes that can be both positive and negative. Therefore, it is important to recognize the attitudes and factors that affect the perception of seniors by society. Objectives The aim of this study was to analyze the attitudes of society towards old age and elderly people with regard to socio-demographic factors. Material and methods The study involved 219 individuals living in Szczecin, Nowa Sól, and Zielona Góra, Poland. Mean age of the respondents – 42.35±14.05 years. For the purposes of statistical analysis, respondents’ ages were grouped according to the WHO classification. The participants were divided into three groups: young adulthood (34.2%), middle adulthood (38.4%), and old age (27.4%). The study was survey-based and performed using the standardized Kogan Questionnaire and an author-constructed questionnaire. Results Statistical analysis demonstrated a significant relationship between the attitude towards the elderly and gender. However, there was no relationship between the respondents› attitude and age, marital status, or education. Respondents, who claimed that seniors are not a problem for society were much more likely to achieve higher results in the Kogan test. Conclusions The majority of respondents perceived senility and elderly people positively. Gender occurred to be an important determinant of the perception of senility. Women perceived old age better.

Abstract licence: CC BY-NC

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