The effect of an occupational therapy course on students’ attitudes toward the older adults and compassionate communication
A quasi-experimental study
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21537091 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Şafak Aydın (0000-0001-8871-7652, Kafkas University, corresponding author), Zümrüt Akgün Şahin (0000-0001-7141-273X, Kafkas University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-15 |
| Publication date | 2026-04-21 |
| 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 | 10.1080/03601277.2026.2658593 |
| OpenAlex | W7155065584 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 43 |
This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of occupational therapy classes given to students on their attitudes toward the older adults and their levels of compassionate communication as a quasi-experimental study based on a single-group pretest-posttest model. Sixty-four students enrolled in the second year of the Elderly Care Program and receiving the occupational therapy course in the spring semester of 2023–2024 participated in the study. Pretest data were collected from students using the Socio-Demographic Information Form, Kogan’s Attitudes Toward Old People Scale (KAOPS), and Compassionate Communication Scale (CCS). At the end of the 14-week course period, the final test data were collected from the students, and the results of the study were analyzed. After completing a 14-week occupational therapy course for elderly care students, a significant increase was observed in the students’ attitudes toward the older adults and their level of compassionate communication. The pretest total mean score for the CCS was 85.93 ± 17.35, while the posttest mean score was 92.53 ± 17.65. Regarding the KAOPS results, the mean pretest score was 115.24 ± 15.57, while the mean posttest score was 155.84 ± 25.40. These differences between pretest and posttest scores were found to be statistically significant (p < .005). In particular, higher levels of compassionate communication and positive attitudes were observed in situations where students lived with older adults for long periods of time and communicated with them frequently. This finding reveals that the training provided had a positive effect on students’ attitudes toward the older adults and communication styles with older individuals. In this regard, it is of great importance to develop not only the knowledge level but also the attitudes and communication skills of students who work or will work with older people in order to improve their quality of life
Empathy · Life course approach · MEDLINE · Qualitative research · Aging and Gerontology Research · Empathy and Medical Education · Identity, Memory, and Therapy · Occupational Therapy
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| Highly cited | No |
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