Nursing students’ perceptions of Alzheimer’s disease
A metaphor study
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21537043 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Güler Duru Aşiret (0000-0002-9635-1539, Aksaray University, corresponding author), Arzu Yüksel (0000-0001-7819-2020, Aksaray University) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Pages | 1-13 |
| Publication date | 2025-10-16 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Educational Gerontology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0360-1277 • E-ISSN: 1521-0472 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/03601277.2025.2575901 |
| OpenAlex | W4415303679 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 30 |
The incidence of Alzheimer’s disease is increasing worldwide. Nursing care plays a critical role in supporting people living with Alzheimer’s disease. Nursing students’ perceptions of Alzheimer’s disease may influence the care provided to both patients and their caregivers. This study aimed to explore nursing students’ perceptions of Alzheimer’s disease through a phenomenological study employing metaphor analysis. Data were collected from 173 nursing students in Turkey between May and June 2024. The researcher-designed data collection form comprised two sections: the first collected sociodemographic information, and the second prompted students to complete the sentence ‘Alzheimer’s disease is like ____ because ____’ to elicit metaphors describing the condition. A total of 173 valid metaphors (n = 173) that reflected students’ perceptions of Alzheimer’s disease were inductively classified into four thematic categories. These categories were ‘Emptiness, Forgetfulness, and Disappearance,’ ‘Needing Care,’ ‘Irreversible Journey,’ and ‘Depression and Despair.’ Nursing students predominantly used metaphors with negative connotations to describe Alzheimer’s disease. This study represents a critical step in understanding future nurses’ perceptions of Alzheimer’s disease and preparing them for patient care. It is recommended that nursing curricula be comprehensively revised to cover the stages of Alzheimer’s disease, the experiences of patients and caregivers at each stage, and non-pharmacological interventions, and that students deliver care for Alzheimer’s patients using this knowledge
Metaphor · Nurse education · Perception · Qualitative research · Education Practices and Challenges · Empathy and Medical Education · Optimism, Hope, and Well-being
Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (Coreq)
Does self-directed learning address gaps in nursing student knowledge of Alzheimer’s disease
Knowledge and attitudes regarding dementia and related factors in undergraduate nursing students
Qualitative research methods for the social sciences
| Highly cited | No |
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