Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-2013
Publication Title
Professional Psychology: Research and Practice
Volume
44
Issue Number
5
First Page
355
Last Page
362
DOI
10.1037/a0034632
Disciplines
Psychology
Abstract
The current study surveyed clinical and counseling graduate students in the United States (n = 380), Canada (n = 211), Australia (n = 117), and New Zealand (n = 20) to assess geropsychology training opportunities and perceived competency in working with older adults. More geropsychology opportunities were available to participants from the United States and Australia/New Zealand than from Canada. Participants not enrolled in programs with specialty geropsychology tracks reported a lower proportion of faculty doing research, F(1, 537) = 182.13, p < .001 and clinical work, F(1, 452) = 36.13, p < .001 with older adults, lower perceived level of interest among faculty in increasing aging content, F(1, 584) = 59.98, p < .001, fewer aging courses taken, F(1, 582) = 46.91, p < .001, and fewer total practicum hours with older adult clients, F(1, 313) = 10.88, p = .001. For participants enrolled in a program with a specialty track, higher levels of perceived competency were associated with higher levels of perceived interest among faculty in increasing aging content (β = 0.29, p = .045) and more courses that included geropsychology topics (β = 0.42, p = .020). Significant associations were similar for participants not enrolled in a program with a specialty track, except that more practicum sites with older adults (β = 0.19, p = .002) and more total practicum hours with older adults (β = 0.31, p < .001) were also associated with ratings of perceived competency. Participants anticipated working with older adults in their future careers via seeing a wide age range of clients in independent practice, working in a specialty that includes older adults (neuropsychology), or including older family members in services. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved)
Recommended Citation
Erin Woodhead, Erin Emery, Nancy Pachana, Theresa Scott, Candace Konnert, and Barry Edelstein. "Graduate students’ geropsychology training opportunities and perceived competence in working with older adults" Professional Psychology: Research and Practice (2013): 355-362. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0034632
Comments
This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article whose final and definitive form, the Version of Record, has been published in Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, volume 44, issue 5, 2013. Find the published version of this article at this link.