Implicit attitudes toward the elderly among health professionals and undergraduate students in the health field: a systematic review

Abstract Objective To perform a systematic review of articles evaluating implicit attitudes of health professionals and undergraduate students in the health field toward the elderly. Methods The PsycINFO, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and LILACS databases were searched for relevant articles published in English, Portuguese and Spanish using the following search terms: implicit attitude AND (elderly OR aged OR older people). Seven articles were selected. Results The majority of studies were conducted in developed countries and found negative attitudes toward the elderly, with males exhibiting more negative attitudes than females. Conclusion The articles analyzed in this review demonstrate an implicitly negative attitude among professionals and students in the field of health toward the elderly.