title: Factors associated with attitudes toward the elderly in a sample of elderly caregivers.
abstract: The number of elderly caregivers is increasing in the world. It is important to know the attitudes toward the elderly, because they can influence a range of behaviors. Our aim was to determine factors associated with attitudes toward the elderly in a sample of older carers.
  
  
  
  Three hundred and thirteen elderly caregivers (75.4% women, mean age 69.7 ± 7.1) who cared for a dependent older person at home completed a cross-sectional household interview. In addition to the four domains of the Neri Scale to Assess Attitudes Toward the Elderly, participants were evaluated regarding the demographics, care recipient (CR) characteristics, functional and cognitive status, general health, life satisfaction, perceived stress, and depressive symptoms.
  
  
  
  Overall, attitudes toward the elderly were neutral in this sample. More negative attitudes in some Neri Scale domains were associated with being older, living in an urban setting, taking more medications per day, caring for an elderly dependent in basic Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), being "more or less" satisfied with life, and having higher levels of perceived stress. There was a negative association between positive attitudes and educational level.
  
  
  
  The results highlight the need for public policies to promote more positive attitudes toward aging and change negative stereotypes usually used to designate older people. These public policies can try to modify some predictors of negative attitudes, such as perceived stress, which was associated with all four domains of Neri Scale.
authors.affiliation: Ribeirão Preto School of Nursing,University of São Paulo,Ribeirão Preto,Brazil.
authors.forename: Bruna Moretti
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Luchesi
authors.affiliation: Department of Gerontology,Federal University of São Carlos,São Carlos,Brazil.
authors.forename: Tiago da Silva
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Alexandre
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing,Federal University of São Carlos,São Carlos,Brazil.
authors.forename: Nathalia Alves
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: de Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing,Federal University of São Carlos,São Carlos,Brazil.
authors.forename: Allan Gustavo
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Brigola
authors.affiliation: Ribeirão Preto School of Nursing,University of São Paulo,Ribeirão Preto,Brazil.
authors.forename: Luciana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kusumota
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing,Federal University of São Carlos,São Carlos,Brazil.
authors.forename: Sofia Cristina Iost
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Pavarini
authors.affiliation: Ribeirão Preto School of Nursing,University of São Paulo,Ribeirão Preto,Brazil.
authors.forename: Sueli
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marques
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001290:Attitude; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003071:Cognition; D000068376:Compassion Fatigue / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D012938:Social Perception
keywords: aged care; attitudes to aging; carers; psychological well-being