Term of Award

Fall 2021

Degree Name

Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.)

Document Type and Release Option

Dissertation (open access)

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Department

Department of Psychology

Committee Chair

Rebecca Ryan

Committee Member 1

Jeffrey Klibert

Committee Member 2

Lawrence Locker

Abstract

Many individuals report reservations about working with an older adult population. A potential factor that may influence this is openness to experience. Additionally, research shows that educational interventions are effective in increasing individuals’ level of knowledge on various topics including older adults and aging. This increased level of knowledge contributes to a higher level of willingness to work with an older adult population. In order to support and extend the existing literature on this topic, we examined the effect of a short-term education session on undergraduate students’ willingness to work with older adults in a variety of positions and settings. Analyses revealed that there were significant differences in reported willingness to work with older adults after the educations session. Specifically, participants reported a higher level of willingness to work with older adults when they were asked to imagine working in a field that was associated with working with an older adult population. This applied to their responses to working with both an active and a frail population. Participants also indicated lower levels of ageism after the education session. This study helped fill a gap in the existing literature as well as provided additional information regarding factors that promote individuals’ willingness to work with an older adult population.

OCLC Number

1159003118

Research Data and Supplementary Material

No

Download

Share

COinS