Nurses with higher empathy show more positive attitudes toward older adults

Nurses who report stronger empathic tendencies also tend to hold more positive attitudes toward older adults, according to a cross-sectional study published in BMC Geriatrics.

The team surveyed 305 nurses recruited through snowball sampling, a non-probability method in which participants refer further respondents. Data were collected online between April and May 2023 using three instruments: a personal information form, the Empathic Tendency Scale (ETS) and the Ageism Attitude Scale (AAS). The researchers analysed the responses with descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and linear regression, and reported the study according to the STROBE guidelines for observational research.

The sample was predominantly female, with a mean age of 34.02 ± 8.20 years. Most participants held a bachelor’s degree. Although more than half said they preferred caring for older patients, the majority reported difficulties in geriatric care, and over half had received no training related to the care of older adults. The mean total ETS score was 68.453 ± 5.836, while the mean total AAS score was 68.797 ± 6.736.

Statistically, the study found a significant positive relationship between the total ETS score and both the total AAS score and the positive discrimination toward older adults subdimension, with correlation coefficients of r = 0.201 (p < 0.05) and r = 0.239 (p < 0.05), respectively. In the regression model, empathic tendency was positively and significantly associated with attitudes toward age discrimination (β = 0.201, p < 0.001). The model was statistically significant overall (R² = 0.037, p < 0.001), meaning empathic tendency explained 3.7% of the variance in ageism attitudes.

The authors interpret this as evidence of a positive and significant association between nurses’ empathic tendencies and their attitudes toward age discrimination. They are explicit, however, that the strength of the association was weak: higher empathic tendency was linked to more positive attitudes toward older adults, but empathy accounted for only a small share of the variation, suggesting that empathic tendency may be one of several factors shaping how nurses view and treat older patients.

Several limitations follow from the study design. As a cross-sectional correlational survey, it can document associations but cannot establish that empathy causes more favourable attitudes, nor rule out reverse or bidirectional relationships. The snowball sampling approach means the sample is not a representative probability sample of nurses, so the findings may not generalise to the wider nursing workforce. All data were self-reported through the study instruments rather than observed behaviour, and the modest explained variance indicates that other personal, educational and workplace factors not measured here likely play larger roles.

The authors published the work as open access, with the article released under BMC’s early-share arrangement carrying a permanent DOI ahead of the final version of record.

Subject of Research: The association between nurses' empathic tendencies and their attitudes toward age discrimination

Article Title: The relationship between empathic tendency and aged discrimination attitudes of nurses

Article References: Sari, E., Özsaban, A., & Bayram, Ş. B. (2026). The relationship between empathic tendency and aged discrimination attitudes of nurses. BMC Geriatrics. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-026-08409-3

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12877-026-08409-3

Keywords: nurses, empathy, ageism, age discrimination, geriatric care, cross-sectional study, BMC Geriatrics, Empathic Tendency Scale, Ageism Attitude Scale, correlational research, relationship, between