Ego defensiveness and its relationship to attitudes of registered nurses toward older people

This study was designed to simultaneously examine the relationship between select independent variables and attitudes of registered nurses toward older people. Emphasis was placed on exploring the relationship between ego defensiveness and attitudes. Data analysis was based on the responses of 255 registered nurses. The following variables were found to be significantly related to attitudes: ego defensiveness, age, highest level of education, position, close personal relationship with an older person and perception of a relationship with an older person. The findings serve as a cautionary signal that attitudes of registered nurses toward older people may not be as positive as recent literature has indicated.