Master of Arts, Miami University, 2016, Population and Social Gerontology

Several studies have revealed that European and American students hold less negative attitudes toward older adults than do Eastern and Southeast Asian students despite the tradition of filial piety in Asian countries. This study examined Thai and American undergraduate students' negative and positive attitudes toward older adults and identified the sociodemographic variables associated with these attitudes. A questionnaire consisting of the Fraboni Scale of Ageism, the Allophilia Scale, and sociodemographic characteristics was administrated to undergraduate students from one public university in Thailand (n=164) and one in the US (n=171). Thai students had more negative and less positive attitudes toward older adults than their American counterparts. Having experience with older adults was associated with positive attitudes in both countries. Health-related students had the highest positive attitudes scores compared to students with other majors. Asian and Western researchers should collaborate and develop culturally-sensitive scales to measure students' attitudes toward older adults.

Committee: Jennifer M. Kinney PhD (Advisor); James S. Brown PhD (Committee Member); Kanokwan Tharawan PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Gerontology