Ageism Among Graduate Students in Communication Sciences and Disorders: A Longitudinal Analysis

Abstract

Purpose Ageism is a negative bias that results in stereotyping of and discrimination against older individuals and is one of the most institutionalized forms of prejudice in current society. Literature suggests that negative attitudes toward the elderly may have adverse effects, especially in health care settings. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the presence and level of ageism in a group of graduate students enrolled in an accredited speech-language pathology program over a 2-year period, to determine if the degree of ageism differed based on ethnicity, gender, age, or previous experience working with older adults. Method Eighty students of an accredited speech-language pathology graduate program completed the Fraboni Scale of Ageism over a 2-year period at the onset of a course on aging. Students were blinded to the type of assessment they were completing and were anonymous in order to blind the instructor to specific student performance. Demographic data for each protocol were gathered in order to analyze results. Results Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and analysis of variance calculated for effect size between groups. Results indicated that the level of ageism did not significantly change when grouped by gender, ethnicity, age, or level of experience, though a level of implicit bias was demonstrated through overall participant scores. Conclusions Authors concluded that existing evidence should be used to develop graduate curriculum that encompasses all age groups, especially those aged 65 years and older. Opportunities for experiential learning may provide further benefit to decreasing ageism in graduate students, leading to positive societal change.