Development of positive attitudes towards older adults in preschool

Abstract

There are negative attitudes towards older adults derived from a society that lists them as unproductive, weak, and unqualified people; such prejudices are disadvantageous and can develop at an early age; This study evaluates the development or strengthening of positive attitudes that preschool children had towards older adults. Twenty-five pre-school children participated. The intervention consisted of 6 sessions with activities involving the preschool, the elderly and the family. The techniques used were family drawing and semi-structured interview. The results were categorized into: 1) Positive attitudes, 2) Negative attitudes, and 3) Attitudes-neutral. After the intervention, children's attitudes towards older adults improved, however, in the first evaluation few negative attitudes were found. The importance of intervening at early ages in interventions that include the joint activities of children with their parents and older adults is discussed.