‘Old, weak, and confused’: A pilot study on perceptions of older adults and anxiety about aging among Kinh adults in rural Vietnam

ABSTRACT

This study aims to explore Kinh Vietnamese adults’ perception of older adults, and examine their anxiety about ageing and its associated factors. Purposive sampling method was used to recruit rural community members who aged from 18 to 59 by the time of the study and self-identified with Kinh ethnicity, the major ethnicity in Vietnam. A total of 322 eligible participants completed face-to-face, semi-structured interviews conducted by research assistants. The survey consisted of both close-ended questions and open-ended questions to collect quantitative and qualitative data. The qualitative results from open-ended questions show that ‘older adults’ were perceived and described with overwhelmingly negative characteristics regarding their appearance (wrinkles, gray hair), physical and cognitive health conditions (weak, frail, confused), capacity (incapable of working), and personality and behavioral characteristics (being difficult and irritable). The quantitative findings show that contact with older adults, correct understanding of qualified age of older adults, and worry about getting dementia and caring for someone with dementia in the future were significantly associated with anxiety about aging. Stereotype and prejudice about older adults, as well as anxiety about aging are critical issues among Vietnamese adults. These results have their implications for educational programs and media campaigns to address ageist stereotypes and aging anxiety in community.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

IRB approval

The study was approved by the IRB of the Vietnam National University’s University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi, on May 19, 2022 (approval #1241/QD-XHNV).

Additional information

Funding

This research paper is solely funded by VNU University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi [USSH-2024.08].