Factors associated with attitudes toward the elderly in a sample of elderly caregivers.
BACKGROUND
The number of elderly caregivers is increasing in the world. It is important to know the attitudes toward the elderly, because they can influence a range of behaviors. Our aim was to determine factors associated with attitudes toward the elderly in a sample of older carers.


METHODS
Three hundred and thirteen elderly caregivers (75.4% women, mean age 69.7 ± 7.1) who cared for a dependent older person at home completed a cross-sectional household interview. In addition to the four domains of the Neri Scale to Assess Attitudes Toward the Elderly, participants were evaluated regarding the demographics, care recipient (CR) characteristics, functional and cognitive status, general health, life satisfaction, perceived stress, and depressive symptoms.


RESULTS
Overall, attitudes toward the elderly were neutral in this sample. More negative attitudes in some Neri Scale domains were associated with being older, living in an urban setting, taking more medications per day, caring for an elderly dependent in basic Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), being "more or less" satisfied with life, and having higher levels of perceived stress. There was a negative association between positive attitudes and educational level.


CONCLUSIONS
The results highlight the need for public policies to promote more positive attitudes toward aging and change negative stereotypes usually used to designate older people. These public policies can try to modify some predictors of negative attitudes, such as perceived stress, which was associated with all four domains of Neri Scale.
['Luchesi|Bruna Moretti|BM|', 'Alexandre|Tiago da Silva|TD|', 'de Oliveira|Nathalia Alves|NA|', 'Brigola|Allan Gustavo|AG|', 'Kusumota|Luciana|L|', 'Pavarini|Sofia Cristina Iost|SC|', 'Marques|Sueli|S|']
D000368:Aged D001290:Attitude D001938:Brazil D017028:Caregivers D003071:Cognition D000068376:Compassion Fatigue D003863:Depression D004522:Educational Status D005260:Female D006304:Health Status D006801:Humans D008297:Male D008603:Mental Health D008875:Middle Aged D020380:Needs Assessment D010549:Personal Satisfaction D012938:Social Perception
carers aged care attitudes to aging psychological well-being