Reframing aging during COVID-19: Familial role-based framing of older adults linked to decreased ageism.
J Am Geriatr Soc
; 70(1): 60-66, 2022 01.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1480182
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Contributions of older adults amid the COVID-19 pandemic have been eclipsed by discourse positioning them as an at-risk population. We assess whether age-based framing (e.g., senior citizen) is associated with more negative stereotyping in the media compared to familial role-based framing (e.g., grandparent) across 8 months, from a baseline period (October 2019-December 2019) to the onset of the pandemic (January 2020-May 2020).METHODS:
Leveraging a 12-billion-word news media database-with over 30 million news articles from over 7000 websites-we identified the most common synonyms for age-based framing (e.g., senior citizen) and familial role-based framing (e.g., grandparent). For each framing category, we compiled the most frequently used descriptors every month, amassing 488,907 descriptors in total. All descriptors were rated from 1 (very negative) to 5 (very positive) to determine a Cumulative Aging Narrative Score (CANS) for age-based and familial role-based framing.RESULTS:
Age-based framing of older adults increased negative stereotyping in the media by seven times compared to familial role-based framing during COVID-19. The percentage of positive topics for age-based framing was significantly lower during COVID-19 (35%) than before (61%). Conversely, the percentage of positive topics for familial role-based framing was higher during the pandemic (91%) than before (70%).CONCLUSION:
This is one of the first empirical studies on whether framing older adults based on age or role is linked to more negative stereotypes during COVID-19. We argue for a more role-centered approach in framing older adults so that their contributions are acknowledged and valued by society.Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Stereotyping
/
Aging
/
Family Relations
/
Ageism
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Prognostic study
Limits:
Aged
/
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
J Am Geriatr Soc
Year:
2022
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Jgs.17532
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