Student Expectations About Mental Health and Aging

Abstract

Drawing from stereotype embodiment theory this study contributes to existing literature by examining whether and how expectations regarding mental health and aging changed for students enrolled in an undergraduate gerontology course at a Canadian research university (N = 51). At the beginning and end of the course, data from an open-ended word association exercise and the Expectations Regarding Aging (ERA-12) survey was collected and later analyzed. Investigators used content analysis and quantization to examine the word association data and statistical tests to analyze the mental health subscale (ERA-MHS). Findings were integrated and presented in a convergence code matrix. Results show that overall participants had more favorable expectations over time; in particular, ERA-MHS scores indicated less favorable expectations at Time 1 (M = 48.86) than at Time 2 (M = 65.36) significant at p < .01, while terms like “successful aging” increased and terms like “depressed” decreased. Findings have implications for geriatric mental health competencies of students in the health professions.

KEYWORDS:

• gerontology education
• student perspectives
• stereotype embodiment theory
• health care students
• ageism

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would like to thank the 51 undergraduate students who participated in this study as well as Sasithra Kanageswaran and Connie Phung for their work as research assistants on this project. The authors would also like to acknowledge the support of Dr. Katie Dainty, Dr. Robin Hayeems, and all of the graduate students who participated in the Health Services Research course.

FUNDING

Natalie Warrick, MSc, Phd Student, would like to gratefully acknowledge the funding support provided by the Ontario Graduate Scholarship, the Toronto Rehab Kirshenblatt Memorial Scholarship and the Saint Elizabeth Healthcare Michael Decter Health Leadership and Policy Studies Scholarship.

Additional information

Funding

Natalie Warrick, MSc, Phd Student, would like to gratefully acknowledge the funding support provided by the Ontario Graduate Scholarship, the Toronto Rehab Kirshenblatt Memorial Scholarship and the Saint Elizabeth Healthcare Michael Decter Health Leadership and Policy Studies Scholarship.