Examination of University Students' Empathy Level, Ageism and Attitudes Towards Old Age: A Social Responsibility Project

This study aimed to examine the empathy level, ageism, and attitudes of university students towards the elderly. Investigating age discrimination by young individuals in the context of increasing intergenerational interactions is important for creating age-friendly societies. A quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest control group was used in this study, which was conducted in Istanbul, Turkey. The sample comprised 50 university students, split into the study (n=25) and comparison groups (n=25). The working group participated in workshops that lasted for six months, and the comparison group was not included in any application. The scales (Socio-Demographic Information Form, Empathy Level Determination Scale, Age Discrimination Attitude Scale, Attitude towards the Elderly Scale) were administered to the participants as pre-test and post-test after the project was completed. The analysis of the data obtained in this study was performed with SPSS 26.0, comparison analyzes were performed using t-test and relational analyzes using Pearson correlation. As a result of the research, the positive attitude levels of the students participating in the project towards the elderly were found to be higher than the comparison group. In addition, positive attitude towards the elderly, positive discrimination, emotional reaction and cognitive skill scores were found to be significantly higher in students who stated that they participated in the project. It was determined that the scores of negative attitudes towards the elderly were significantly higher in the participants who stated that they had not participated in the project before. This study contributes to the extant literature by providing new information from a different cultural context and aiding the exploration of the development of different intergenerational interaction practices. Intergenerational interaction programs can help university students develop positive attitudes towards the elderly and reduce instances and beliefs of ageism.

Anahtar Kelimeler:

Aged, Ageism, Empathy

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