The Effects of undergraduate students' Attiitudes toward the elderly and aging on grandmother-grandchild intimacy

대학생의 노인과 노화에 대한 태도가 조모와의 친밀감에 미치는 영향

This study examines undergraduate students' intimacy toward the grandmother and their attitudes toward the elderly and aging. The study also identifies the variances that influence undergraduate students' intimacy toward the grandmother. The subjects were 397 undergraduates. Statistical analysis was conducted to examine frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, Cronbach's ${\alpha}$, t-test, Duncan test, ANOVA, and stepwise multiple regression. The results of this study were as follows; 1) The undergraduates' attitudes were mid-range, but their intimacy level toward their grandmother was high. 2) The undergraduates' intimacy level toward the grandmother differed significantly according to gender, experience of cohabitation, the presence of her, and religion, and it showed a significant correlation with attitudes toward the elderly and aging traits, period of cohabitation, and frequent contact with the grandmother. The undergraduates' intimacy level toward grandmother-in-low, however, was significantly different according to the religion. There was also had a significant correlation with the undergraduate students' attitudes toward the elderly and aging traits. 3) The variables that affect the undergraduates' intimacy level toward the grandmother were attitude, frequency of contact with the grandmother, gender, period of cohabitation, experience of cohabitation, and the presence of the grandmother, which explained about 35% of total variance. Attitudes toward the elderly and aging traits were very important variables for undergraduates' intimacy with their grandmother. The undergraduates' intimacy toward grandmother-in-low was affected by the variables of attitude, religion, experience of volunteer, frequency of contact with the grandmother, gender, and the presence of grandmother, which explained about 24% of the total variance. Attitude toward the elderly and aging traits were the most important variables for undergraduates' intimacy with their grandmother-in-low.