title: Anxiety and categorisation effects in student nurses' attitudes towards young and older patients: A dual pathway model.
abstract: 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.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  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.
  
  
  METHODS
  Quantitative survey study with 2 between-subjects conditions (patient age: young patients vs. older patients; both n's=52).
  
  
  METHODS
  Two schools for higher vocational education in the Netherlands.
  
  
  METHODS
  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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Organisational Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands. Electronic address: E.A.C.van.Leeuwen@fsw.leidenuniv.nl.
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: van Leeuwen
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Organisational Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Misha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oosterhuis
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Organisational Psychology, Leiden University, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Sofie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ruyter
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001007:Anxiety; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002321:Career Choice; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005851:Geriatric Nursing / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Anxiety; Geriatric care; Nurse education; Student nurses