Intergenerational contact, aging anxiety and behavioral intentions toward older adults

Abstract

Cultural and societal (economic) variables are important considerations when considering intergenerational dynamics, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. With widespread multi-generational family living arrangements, a high cultural value placed on older adults, and a rapidly aging population, Turkey suggests the possibility of studying aging from a unique perspective. This study investigated the relationship between intergenerational contact, aging anxiety and endorsement of various behavioral intentions toward older adults in Turkey. A nonrandom convenience sampling technique generated a sample of 215 participants with a mean age of 20.84 (SD = 1.43). All measures were translated to Turkish and demonstrated acceptable levels of reliability. Participants reported having frequent and quality interactions with older adults and had positive aging attitudes. At the same time, personal aging anxiety was high and was not related with either the contact variables or attitudes. Behavioral intention items were factor analyzed (PCA; Varimax rotation), loading on two factors, termed direct and indirect intentions. Multiple regression analyses indicated that the combination of predictor variables (contact variables, attitudes, anxiety, and background characteristics) explained variability in behavior intentions, with aging attitudes the most robust predictor. This study replicated findings showing a positive contribution of intergenerational contact to aging attitudes and prosocial intentions toward older adults. A unique finding was that aging attitudes were not related to self-reported aging anxiety. We interpret this finding as reflecting growing economic problems for younger adults and present a novel interpretation of this relationship.