Nursing Students' Willingness to Care for Older Adults in Taiwan

Background: The possibilities that nurses will take care of persons 65 years of age or older in hospitals and communities are increasing due to a growing aged population. Nursing students should be prepared to face the challenges of their future practice. Therefore, factors associated with nursing students' willingness to care for older adults need to be identified. Aim: This study aimed to explore Taiwanese nursing students' willingness to work with older persons and factors associated with this. Methods: A cross-sectional research design was used. Stratified sampling was applied to recruit participants from seven nursing schools in northern, central, southern, and eastern areas of Taiwan. There were 612 nursing students who successful completed the questionnaire including demographic data, the Attitudes Toward the Elderly Scale, and the Willingness Toward the Elderly Care Scale. Data were collected between November 2012 and January 2013. A stepwise regression analysis was conducted to identify predictors of nursing students' willingness to care for older adults. Findings: The mean score of nursing students' attitudes toward older people was 73.86 (SD = 8.9), with a range of 44-106. The mean score on the willingness to care for older adults was 55.01 (SD = 6.4), with a range of 36-75. The length of time with older adults per week (r = 0.12, p =003) and grandparents having served as caregivers during the students' childhood (t = -2.147, β =032) were both positively associated with the willingness to care for older adults. The best predictors of nursing students' willingness to care for older adults were students' attitudes toward older adults (β = 0.38, p