Volume 15, Issue 1 (Spring 2020)
Salmand: Iranian Journal of Ageing 2020, 15(1): 54-67 |
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Mohamadi S, Sahaf R, Karimi M, Akbari Kamrani A A, Shati M, Mirabzadeh A et al . Assessment of Lippia Citriodora Oil Effect on Sleep Disturbances in Ageing: A Double Blind Randomized Controlled Trial. Salmand: Iranian Journal of Ageing 2020; 15 (1) :54-67
URL: http://salmandj.uswr.ac.ir/article-1-1560-en.html
URL: http://salmandj.uswr.ac.ir/article-1-1560-en.html
Seyran Mohamadi1 
, Robab Sahaf1 , Mehrdad Karimi * 2, Ahmad Ali Akbari Kamrani1 , Mohsen Shati1 , Arash Mirabzadeh1 , Gholam Reza Ansari1
, Robab Sahaf1 , Mehrdad Karimi * 2, Ahmad Ali Akbari Kamrani1 , Mohsen Shati1 , Arash Mirabzadeh1 , Gholam Reza Ansari1
1- Department of Aging, Iranian Research Center on Aging, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
2- Department of Iranian Medicine, School of Traditional Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. ,mehrdadkarimi@yahoo.com
2- Department of Iranian Medicine, School of Traditional Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. ,
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1. Introduction
his study investigates the level of anxiety about aging and its related factors among the students of Tehran University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences. Considering that communities around the world are aging and the life expectancy as well as population of the elderly is increasing, there is no doubt that research on aging and quality of life in old age is becoming increasingly important.
Anxiety about aging is one of the specific types of disorders with the component of fear of growing up and aging. Aging is a reality that everyone experiences at some point in their lives. This disorder is a psychological trauma that is not under the control of the individual. In order to overcome it, special treatment should be considered. Anxiety about aging affects both men and women.
It can be argued that age-related anxiety can begin in childhood and adolescence and may peak in adulthood. Examining the prevalence of this fear, especially in people who are active in social spheres, can be a starting point for examining positive and negative views regarding aging and identifying positive factors that improve the quality of old age. This study also indicated the need for further measures to increase the positive attitude towards aging and reduce the signs of anxiety about aging. In this study, the anxiety about aging among students was studied so that we could provide a solution to manage this anxiety.
2. Methods & Materials
This study was a cross-sectional study and the target population was students of Tehran University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences. These students studied in the fields of rehabilitation and health, and all of them would be in contact with the elderly in their future careers.
The number of samples was 129, which considering the alpha of 0.5 and the test power of 0.90 and also considering the 15% distortion of the questionnaires, the samples of this study reached 149 people. According to the study situation, sampling was done by available method and the measurement tool was “Anxiety about Aging Scale” (Lasher and Faulkender, 1993). The questionnaire had 20 items in four general areas including "fear of old people”, “psychological concerns”, “physical appearance” and “fear of losses". The Anxiety about Aging Scale was developed as a Likert scale (6-point) from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree".
Validity and reliability of this questionnaire has already been done in Iran. The reliability of this questionnaire in the present study was 0.84 using Cronbach's alpha method for the whole questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of 4 subscales, the Cronbach's alpha of each was as follows: fear of old people (0.72); psychological concerns (0.52); physical appearance (0.66); fear of losses (0.63).
3. Results
The Mean±SD of “anxiety about aging” was 70.08±9.69 in total. Among the 4 subscales, the highest fear of students was related to "fear of losses" with a Mean±SD of 20.14±4.84 and the lowest fear was related to "fear of old people" with a Mean±SD of 14.15±5.08.
4. Conclusion
According to the data obtained from the 4 components, the highest fear of students was related to the "fear of losses" and the lowest was related to the "fear of old people". These results appear to overlap with previous research. According to Poursattar and Poursattar's [12] research, the mean "anxiety about aging" among dental students was 59. Also, the research of Lasher and Faulkender [8], Allen and Johnson [6] and Harris and Dallinger [13] confirmed these results.
The results showed that the highest fear of students was related to the "fear of losses" and the lowest was related to the "fear of old people". Also, among the 17 factors related to anxiety about aging, only three factors (different years of education, degree of satisfaction with the field of study, and having a father aged 60 and over) were significantly associated with anxiety about aging among the subjects.
The limitations of the present study included: lack of access to students of other fields of study at the university; limitation of generalizing the results of this research to other communities; unwillingness of some students to fill out questionnaires; small number of research items in this field.
It is suggested that this research be conducted for other academic and non-academic communities, and workshops be held to increase public awareness about the correct facts of old age and reduce the fear and anxiety of middle-aged people.
Ethical Considerations
Compliance with ethical guidelines
This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Social Welfare Sciences (Code: 1532).
Funding
This research was Supported by Vice Chancellor for Research and Technology, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences.
Authors' contributions
Conceptualization: Soheila Ebrahimi, Ahmad Delbari, Maryam Ramshini, Reza Laripour; Investigation, writing – review & editing: All authors; Editing and finalization: Ahmad Delbari, Soheila Ebrahimi, Maryam Ramshini.
Conflicts of interest
The authors declared no conflict of interest.
References
Sadegh Moghadam L, Foroughan M, Mohammadi F, Ahmadi F, Farhadi A, Nazari S, et al . Aging Perception in Older Adults. Salmand: Iranian Journal of Ageing. 2016; 10 (4):202-209. http://salmandj.uswr.ac.ir/article-1-1011-fa.html
Eftekhari Z, Nosrati Nejad F, Sahhaf R, Zanjari N. A content analysis of the concepts and images of the physical aging primary school textbooks in Iran. Salmand: Iranian Journal of Ageing. 2018; 13(2):154-67. http://salmandj.uswr.ac.ir/article-1-1188-fa.html
Wiecz kowska HZ, Muszalik M, Kornatowska, KK. The analysis of aging and elderly age quality in empirical research: Data based onuniversity of the Third age (U3A) students. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics. 2012; 55(1):195-9. [Doi: 10.1016/j.archger.2011.07.011.]
Schultz DP, Schultz SE. Theoeies Of Personality. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing: 2005.
Diehl M, Wahl HW, Barrett AE, Brothers AF, Miche M, Montepare JM, Westerhof GJ, Wurm S. Awareness of aging: Theoretical considerations on an emerging concept. Developmental Review. 2014; 34(2):93-113. [DOI:10.1016/j.dr.2014.01.001] [PMID] [PMCID]
Johanson T. The secret cause of gerascophobia fear of Growing [Internet] 2008. [Cited 2005 Feb 11]. Available from: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Trevor_Johnson/143711
Tomlin VC. Age group and gender differences in fears of aging [Internet]. 2006 [Cited 2016 Apr 7]. Available From: https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/940
Hejazi E. Fear of aging is a product of our time [Internet]. 2011 [Cited 2011 Jul 23]. Availble from: http://old.sharghdaily.ir/news/90/05/01/20205.html
Hollis-Sawyer L, Dykema-Engblade A. Fear of aging: A precipitating factor in late onset anorexia nervosa. Journal of Eating Disorder. 2019; 9(2):221-4. [DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-420136-1.00005-0]
Cohran WG. Sampeling teqniques. New yourk: John Wiley& Sons; 1977.
Poorsatar Beje Mir A, Poorsatar Beje Mir M. Dentistry student ageing anxity levels in northern Iran. Gerantology. 2014; 31(4)-4. [DOI:10.1111/ger.12030] [PMID]
Lasher KP, Faulkender PJ. Measurement of aging anxiety: Development of the anxiety about aging scale. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development. 1993; 37(4):247-59. [DOI:10.2190/1U69-9AU2-V6LH-9Y1L] [PMID]
Sanagoo A, Bazyar A, Chehrehgosha M, Gharanjic S, Noroozi M, Pakravan Far S. People attitude toward elderly in Golestan province, 2009. Search Results Web results Journal of Research Development in Nursing & Midwifer. 2012; 8(2):24-9.
Harris AL, Dollinger S. Individual defferences in personality traits and anxiety about aging. Personality Individ Differ. 2003; 34(2):187-94. [DOI: 10.1016/S0191-8869(02)00019-3]
his study investigates the level of anxiety about aging and its related factors among the students of Tehran University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences. Considering that communities around the world are aging and the life expectancy as well as population of the elderly is increasing, there is no doubt that research on aging and quality of life in old age is becoming increasingly important.
Anxiety about aging is one of the specific types of disorders with the component of fear of growing up and aging. Aging is a reality that everyone experiences at some point in their lives. This disorder is a psychological trauma that is not under the control of the individual. In order to overcome it, special treatment should be considered. Anxiety about aging affects both men and women.
It can be argued that age-related anxiety can begin in childhood and adolescence and may peak in adulthood. Examining the prevalence of this fear, especially in people who are active in social spheres, can be a starting point for examining positive and negative views regarding aging and identifying positive factors that improve the quality of old age. This study also indicated the need for further measures to increase the positive attitude towards aging and reduce the signs of anxiety about aging. In this study, the anxiety about aging among students was studied so that we could provide a solution to manage this anxiety.
2. Methods & Materials
This study was a cross-sectional study and the target population was students of Tehran University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences. These students studied in the fields of rehabilitation and health, and all of them would be in contact with the elderly in their future careers.
The number of samples was 129, which considering the alpha of 0.5 and the test power of 0.90 and also considering the 15% distortion of the questionnaires, the samples of this study reached 149 people. According to the study situation, sampling was done by available method and the measurement tool was “Anxiety about Aging Scale” (Lasher and Faulkender, 1993). The questionnaire had 20 items in four general areas including "fear of old people”, “psychological concerns”, “physical appearance” and “fear of losses". The Anxiety about Aging Scale was developed as a Likert scale (6-point) from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree".
Validity and reliability of this questionnaire has already been done in Iran. The reliability of this questionnaire in the present study was 0.84 using Cronbach's alpha method for the whole questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of 4 subscales, the Cronbach's alpha of each was as follows: fear of old people (0.72); psychological concerns (0.52); physical appearance (0.66); fear of losses (0.63).
3. Results
The Mean±SD of “anxiety about aging” was 70.08±9.69 in total. Among the 4 subscales, the highest fear of students was related to "fear of losses" with a Mean±SD of 20.14±4.84 and the lowest fear was related to "fear of old people" with a Mean±SD of 14.15±5.08.
4. Conclusion
According to the data obtained from the 4 components, the highest fear of students was related to the "fear of losses" and the lowest was related to the "fear of old people". These results appear to overlap with previous research. According to Poursattar and Poursattar's [12] research, the mean "anxiety about aging" among dental students was 59. Also, the research of Lasher and Faulkender [8], Allen and Johnson [6] and Harris and Dallinger [13] confirmed these results.
The results showed that the highest fear of students was related to the "fear of losses" and the lowest was related to the "fear of old people". Also, among the 17 factors related to anxiety about aging, only three factors (different years of education, degree of satisfaction with the field of study, and having a father aged 60 and over) were significantly associated with anxiety about aging among the subjects.
The limitations of the present study included: lack of access to students of other fields of study at the university; limitation of generalizing the results of this research to other communities; unwillingness of some students to fill out questionnaires; small number of research items in this field.
It is suggested that this research be conducted for other academic and non-academic communities, and workshops be held to increase public awareness about the correct facts of old age and reduce the fear and anxiety of middle-aged people.
Ethical Considerations
Compliance with ethical guidelines
This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Social Welfare Sciences (Code: 1532).
Funding
This research was Supported by Vice Chancellor for Research and Technology, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences.
Authors' contributions
Conceptualization: Soheila Ebrahimi, Ahmad Delbari, Maryam Ramshini, Reza Laripour; Investigation, writing – review & editing: All authors; Editing and finalization: Ahmad Delbari, Soheila Ebrahimi, Maryam Ramshini.
Conflicts of interest
The authors declared no conflict of interest.
References
Sadegh Moghadam L, Foroughan M, Mohammadi F, Ahmadi F, Farhadi A, Nazari S, et al . Aging Perception in Older Adults. Salmand: Iranian Journal of Ageing. 2016; 10 (4):202-209. http://salmandj.uswr.ac.ir/article-1-1011-fa.html
Eftekhari Z, Nosrati Nejad F, Sahhaf R, Zanjari N. A content analysis of the concepts and images of the physical aging primary school textbooks in Iran. Salmand: Iranian Journal of Ageing. 2018; 13(2):154-67. http://salmandj.uswr.ac.ir/article-1-1188-fa.html
Wiecz kowska HZ, Muszalik M, Kornatowska, KK. The analysis of aging and elderly age quality in empirical research: Data based onuniversity of the Third age (U3A) students. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics. 2012; 55(1):195-9. [Doi: 10.1016/j.archger.2011.07.011.]
Schultz DP, Schultz SE. Theoeies Of Personality. Belmont: Wadsworth Publishing: 2005.
Diehl M, Wahl HW, Barrett AE, Brothers AF, Miche M, Montepare JM, Westerhof GJ, Wurm S. Awareness of aging: Theoretical considerations on an emerging concept. Developmental Review. 2014; 34(2):93-113. [DOI:10.1016/j.dr.2014.01.001] [PMID] [PMCID]
Johanson T. The secret cause of gerascophobia fear of Growing [Internet] 2008. [Cited 2005 Feb 11]. Available from: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Trevor_Johnson/143711
Tomlin VC. Age group and gender differences in fears of aging [Internet]. 2006 [Cited 2016 Apr 7]. Available From: https://rdw.rowan.edu/etd/940
Hejazi E. Fear of aging is a product of our time [Internet]. 2011 [Cited 2011 Jul 23]. Availble from: http://old.sharghdaily.ir/news/90/05/01/20205.html
Hollis-Sawyer L, Dykema-Engblade A. Fear of aging: A precipitating factor in late onset anorexia nervosa. Journal of Eating Disorder. 2019; 9(2):221-4. [DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-420136-1.00005-0]
Cohran WG. Sampeling teqniques. New yourk: John Wiley& Sons; 1977.
Poorsatar Beje Mir A, Poorsatar Beje Mir M. Dentistry student ageing anxity levels in northern Iran. Gerantology. 2014; 31(4)-4. [DOI:10.1111/ger.12030] [PMID]
Lasher KP, Faulkender PJ. Measurement of aging anxiety: Development of the anxiety about aging scale. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development. 1993; 37(4):247-59. [DOI:10.2190/1U69-9AU2-V6LH-9Y1L] [PMID]
Sanagoo A, Bazyar A, Chehrehgosha M, Gharanjic S, Noroozi M, Pakravan Far S. People attitude toward elderly in Golestan province, 2009. Search Results Web results Journal of Research Development in Nursing & Midwifer. 2012; 8(2):24-9.
Harris AL, Dollinger S. Individual defferences in personality traits and anxiety about aging. Personality Individ Differ. 2003; 34(2):187-94. [DOI: 10.1016/S0191-8869(02)00019-3]
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
gerontology
Received: 2018/06/18 | Accepted: 2019/12/08 | Published: 2020/04/01
Received: 2018/06/18 | Accepted: 2019/12/08 | Published: 2020/04/01
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