Research article summary (published 30 Dec 1990):

Medical students' attitudes towards ageing and death: a cross-sequential study.

Full Abstract

This study presents an analysis of possible changes in attitudes towards older persons and in attitudes towards personal death anxiety that might occur over the course of undergraduate medical education. Three entering classes of medical students at a university in the Mid-western United States completed an attitudes towards old people scale, a death anxiety scale, and a standard personality inventory. As graduating seniors, they again completed the attitudes towards old people scale and the death anxiety scale. Significant changes did not occur. In comparison with baseline data from a group of 212 university graduate students in the USA, these 234 medical undergraduates had significantly more positive attitudes towards the aged; in another comparison, their death anxiety was significantly lower than a group of 599 from the general population. Implications are discussed.

Author information

Author/s: Thorson, J A (JA); Powell, F C (FC);

Affiliation: Department of Gerontology, University of Nebraska, Omaha 68182.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: Medical education (Med Educ), published in ENGLAND. (Language: eng)

Reference: 1991-Jan; vol 25 (issue 1) : pp 32-7

Dates: Created 1991/04/03; Completed 1991/04/03; Revised 2004/11/17;

PMID: 1997826, status: MEDLINE (last retrieved date: 2/18/2009)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MeSH Headings (categories) shown below.

Adult Aging Attitude of Health Personnel Attitude to Death Education, Medical, Undergraduate

Female Humans Male Personality Students, Medical - psychology

Note: Bold headings indicate primary MeSH headings or qualifiers.

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