Anxiety and categorisation effects in student nurses' attitudes towards young and older patients: A dual pathway model.

BACKGROUND Student nurses often have a negative attitude towards older patients due to negative stereotypes, which may explain their reluctance to work in geriatric care. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to investigate a dual effect (direct and indirect via anxiety) of patients' age on student nurses' attitudes towards their patients. DESIGN Quantitative survey study with 2 between-subjects conditions (patient age: young patients vs. older patients; both n's=52). SETTING Two schools for higher vocational education in the Netherlands. PARTICIPANTS 104 student nurses between the ages of 16-30 in the third or fourth year of their nursing education (Mage=21.58, SD=2.22; 93 women). RESULTS Attitudes towards older patients were more negative than those towards young patients. Older patients also elicited less anxiety compared to young patients, and anxiety had a weaker relationship with attitudes towards older patients than attitudes towards younger patients. Attitudes towards younger patients, but not towards older patients, were depressed by anxiety. CONCLUSIONS Older patients generate more negative attitudes among student nurses, but can also improve attitudes indirectly by lowering intergroup anxiety. Older people may be therefore be especially suitable as a patient group to receive care from young nurses in training, who can mature in their profession without being anxious over making a wrong impression.