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M. Podhorecka1, A. Pyszora2, J. Husejko1, A. Woźniewicz1
1Ludwik Rydygier Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Department of Geriatrics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Bydgoszcz, Poland, 2Ludwik Rydygier Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Departament of Palliative Care, Faculty of Health Sciences, Bydgoszcz, Poland
Background: Ageism is age discrimination. The concept was introduced in 1969 by Robert Butler, who defined ageism as "a process of systematically creating stereotypes and discriminating people on the basis that they are old." The phenomenon of ageism has already been thoroughly studied among nurses and doctors, but in world reports, and especially in Polish society, there are shortcomings in this regard.
Purpose: The study aimed to investigate the phenomenon of ageism in the professional group of physiotherapists. The study also involved physiotherapy students over different years of education, thus observing whether ageism and empathy change with the acquired professional experience. In addition, the question is: are the above parameters individual, non-modifiable in terms of age, gender or professional experience?
Methods: Two groups were included in the study. The first group included active professional physiotherapists, the second group: physiotherapy students at different stages of education. The survey was anonymous and included completing an online survey. The tools used were the author's metric questionnaire, Kogan Attitudes Towards Older People Scale and the Jefferson Scale of Empathy. Correlational analyses, t-test, and analysis of variance were used to examine internal relationships and group differences therapist variables were measured using a questionnaire.
Results: Responses were received from 58 active physiotherapists and 60 students at different stages of education. The age of respondents ranged from 20-65 years. Analyses revealed similarities among the physiotherapists studied, and in most cases there were traits with a high level of empathy. As regards the prevalence of ageism, differences in variability were found in the group of students and physiotherapists with extensive professional experience and the nature of the work (patients admitted). Moreover, statistical significance was noticeable in relation to the correlation between ageism and empathy.
Conclusion(s): There seems to be a degree of variability between the prevalence of ageism among physiotherapists depending on gender, age, seniority and the nature of their professional work. The discussion suggests that differences in results are also due to the degree of empathy in the physiotherapist population.
Implications: Assessing the prevalence of ageism among the physiotherapist population will allow an assessment of the scale of the problem by comparing it with reports describing other medical professions. Demonstrating the problem can be a canvas (in times of an ageing society) to implement anti-discrimination strategies, at the right stage of education or at different stages of a career.
Funding, acknowledgements: Research funded by the university's statutory resources.
Keywords: Physiotherapists, Ageism, Empathy
Topic: Professional issues
Did this work require ethics approval? Yes
Institution: Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń Ludwik Rydygier Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz
Committee: Bioethics Commission of Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, UMK Toruń
Ethics number: 2020/36
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
