Indigenous peoples’ attitude toward their elders and associated personality correlates

Abstract

Research has indicated there are cultural differences in attitudes toward seniors. Very few studies, however, have been undertaken to evaluate attitudes toward elders in indigenous populations in Canada. The current study was unique in this regard by asking indigenous participants ranging in age from 18 to 50 years to provide their attitudes toward their native elders. The research was conducted with people who live on reserve and off reserve in communities in Northern Ontario. We sought to understand the influence of gender and personality factors on attitudes toward elders. The Kogan’s Attitude Toward Old People Scale and Cattell’s 16 Personality Factor Questionnaires were used to investigate attitude and personality differences among an indigenous sample. Results indicated that indigenous people have positive attitudes toward elders. There were no significant gender or living arrangement differences for those living on or off reserve. Significant correlations were found between personality factors and attitudes toward the elders. Potential implications are discussed.