Interest in or distance from gerontology? A qualitative study on the attitudes of social work students in Türkiye

Türkiye’s aging population increases the need for gerontological competence in social work. This qualitative study examines social work students’ professional orientation toward gerontological social work—their interest in or distance from working with older adults—and the dynamics shaping it. Drawing on ageism theory, it analyses semi-structured interviews with 17 undergraduates at X University who completed a gerontological social work course. Using reflexive thematic analysis, two main themes were developed along the study’s guiding axis, ‘interest in gerontology’ and ‘distance from gerontology,’ with subthemes generated inductively. Interest was built through an empathetic, relational stance toward older adults, a course-prompted revision of previously negative views of aging, and a reading of population aging as a professional mandate. Distance stemmed from anticipated emotional depletion, difficulties in relating across generations—combining perceived value differences with, in some accounts, age-based stereotyping—and an internalized societal devaluation of older age. Students’ orientation thus reflected both subtle, often benevolent ageism and the anti-ageist awareness fostered by education, although not all distance was ageist in origin. The study underscores strengthening gerontological content in social work curricula and providing supervisory support to bolster students’ resilience.