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 Table of Contents  
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Year : 2016  |  Volume : 2  |  Issue : 3  |  Page : 175-179

Knowledge and attitudes of health profession's students about inter-relationship of communication gap with generation gap


1 Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, Government Dental College and Hospital, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India
2 Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, Sharad Pawar Dental College, Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences (Deemed University), Wardha, Maharashtra, India
3 Department of Pediatrics, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences (Deemed University), Wardha, Maharashtra, India

Date of Web Publication6-Jun-2016

Correspondence Address:
Nilima Thosar
Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, Sharad Pawar Dental College, Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences (Deemed University), Wardha - 442 004, Maharashtra
India
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Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None


DOI: 10.4103/2395-2296.179079

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  Abstract 

Aim: To find out the knowledge and attitude of health profession's students about communication gap and generation gap and their co-relation. Materials and Methods: A debate was organized for 200 health profession's students between the age group of 18–24 years to know their knowledge, attitude, views, and ideas about “Generation gap”, “communication gap,” and co-relation of the two. Students not only actively participated in the debate and discussed various points related to this topic but also shared their ideas on “how to solve this communication gap due to the generation gap.” Result: Prevalidated questions were asked to 200 health profession's students. Various factors responsible for communication gap and generation gap were discussed. Knowledge and attitude of health profession's students gave important clues for developing effective communication and also to improve the generation gap. Conclusion: One of the important barriers in achieving effective communication is a generation gap. As per the opinion of health profession's students, to solve this problem, one has to be a good listener, share ideas and problems, seek advice from parents, treat elders with respect, and give equal importance to career and family. Thus knowledge and attitude of health profession's students can be helpful in achieving good communication skills in the context of medical and other healthcare practice for professional-patient interaction and within the healthcare team.

Keywords: Communication gap, generation gap, health profession


How to cite this article:
Bahadure RN, Thosar N, Vagha J. Knowledge and attitudes of health profession's students about inter-relationship of communication gap with generation gap. Int J Educ Psychol Res 2016;2:175-9

How to cite this URL:
Bahadure RN, Thosar N, Vagha J. Knowledge and attitudes of health profession's students about inter-relationship of communication gap with generation gap. Int J Educ Psychol Res [serial online] 2016 [cited 2024 Mar 29];2:175-9. Available from: https://www.ijeprjournal.org/text.asp?2016/2/3/175/179079


  Introduction Top


Being health professional, students should be able to establish not only oral communication between doctors and patients, but also should address all aspects of communication skills, including written and interprofessional. One of the barriers in establishing effective communication may be a generation gap.

A generation gap is commonly perceived to refer to differences between generations that cause conflict and complicate communication, creating a “gap.” As per the Word Maven William Safire, “generation gap can be a frustrating lack of communication between young and old, or a useful stretch of time that separates cultures within a society, allowing them to develop their own character.”[1]

The “youth culture” of adolescents and teenagers often seek to stake out their own identity and independence from their parents results in a cultural divide and experience different technologies, freedoms and standards of propriety.[2]

Children born in the mid to late 1980s and the 1990s have been labeled the “Internet Generation.”[3] Surveys show that this generation which is sometimes also called the “Net Generation,” “Net Gen,” “Digital Generation,” or the “Millenials” consults the web for a wider range of purposes than do present adults or young people of the previous generation.[4]

In India, this generation gap in recent days has reached to an explosive stage due to the rise in complexities of life in the wake of modernism.

This study was undertaken to know and understand the views of health profession's students about the generation gap, communication gap, and their co-relation.

Aims and objectives

Aim of this paper was to find out the inter-relationship between communication gap and generation gap. Objectives of the study were:

  1. To study the knowledge and attitude of health profession's students about communication gap
  2. To study the knowledge and attitude of health profession's students about generation gap
  3. To find the correlation between communication gap and generation gap if any.



  Materials and Methods Top


This study was carried out in Communication Skills Laboratory at Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences (Deemed University). In this communication skills laboratory, the students of various health professions are posted and trained to facilitate their communication skills mainly with the patients. They are trained for these skills through role plays, drama, debates, group discussions, video films, and interactive lectures. Institutional Ethical Committee clearance was obtained before the start of study. The debate was organized for 200 students (age: 18–24 years) of medical and dental college. Five questions which were prevalidated by the Department of Medical Education were put to every participant. The five questions which were asked to the students were:

  1. What do you mean by generation gap? Why does this generation gap occur, discuss with various factors?
  2. What do you mean by communication gap? Why does this communication gap occur, discuss with various factors?
  3. Is there any interrelation between communication and generation gap?
  4. What will the effects of communication gap and generation gap?
  5. How to solve the problem of communication gap and generation gap?


The responses were noted down, analyzed, and the most common consensus were seggregated and considered as the opinion of these students by the majority.


  Results Top


The opinions and the attitudes of the students on the five questions were as follows:

Question 1

What do you mean by generation gap? Why does this generation gap occur, discuss with various factors?

Answer

It is the difference in ideas, opinions, and lifestyles between two or more generations. Following important factors were suggested by students after discussion with them.

(1) Family Structure: Joint family, nuclear family; more and more nuclear families are leading to generation gap between children and grandparents. (2) Hectic lifestyle and long schedule: People are becoming more career oriented and spending less time with family members. (3) Advancement in technology: New generation has more facilities and amenities than their parents and grandparents, so life has become easier. (4) Experience: Parents had a tougher life which led to varied and valuable experiences than today's generation. 5. Culture: Western culture is being adopted by today's generation. Society has become bolder. Everything is being shown and discussed through videos, movies, songs, social, networking sites, etc., without any restriction.

Question 2

What do you mean by communication Gap? Why does this communication gap occur, discuss with various factors?

Answer

Communication gap occurs due to lack of sharing of ideas, opinions, or thoughts between two or more people. Factors discussed with students were:

(1) Hectic lifestyles: People are not getting time to freely interact with their children as they are very much engrossed in their work. (2) Language and cultural Barrier: If we don't understand the language and culture of the person we are talking to, we won't be able to share the ideas and the person may carry wrong ideas about us. (3) Uncomfortable with the person: For example., if the patient feels uncomfortable with the doctor, will not express all the problems with the doctor which may lead to incorrect diagnosis. (4) Body language of a person talking to: If the listener is acting fidgety, restless, or not interested, then the speaker won't express completely. (5) Environment: Too much noise, crowd, or disturbances when two persons are talking, then it will hamper their communication.

Question 3

Is there any interrelation between communication and generation gap?

Answer

According to students, this could be categorized into three. (1) generation gap leading to communication gap, (2) communication gap leading to generation gap, and (3) not inter-related.

  1. Generation gap leading to communication gap

    • Differences in ideas will lead to conflicts during conversation which will restrict further communication
    • Changes in family structure cause lack of communication between children and their grandparents
    • Since both the parents are working, they do not spend time with their children. Earlier grandparents use to tell stories to their grandchildren. However now everything is available on DVD's, CD's, and internet. Hence children are not interested in talking to their grandparents.


  2. Communication gap leading to generation gap

    • Grandparents are unaware of newer technologies, ideas, and lifestyles. Hence they cannot discuss with their grandchildren even if they want to discuss on certain issue
    • Hectic lifestyle
    • Conflicts between family members cause psychological imbalance in child.


  3. Not interrelated: It can be of two types

    1. No communication gap and no generation gap: If technologies such as video chatting are properly utilized, we can communicate freely with our grandparents living far away.
    2. No communication gap but still generation gap:


    • In joint families, the two generations are not flexible enough to accept each other's ideas, even if they talk daily
    • In nuclear families, even though grandparents can chat with grandchildren through video chatting, there can exist generation gap because of different lifestyles.


Question 4

What will be the effects of communication gap and generation gap?

Answer

Effects discussed by students were: (1) Effects on the family: Lead to more stress, tension, conflicts, no venting out. Unable to share the problems. (2) Effects on the profession: If we are more stressed out at home due to this gap, we will take it out on our colleagues, co-workers and patients. For example in case of doctors, it can lead to incorrect diagnosis, wrong treatment, and leading to distraction of rapport between doctor and patient. Health problems: Too much stress at home and profession can lead to “professional burnout syndrome.” (3) Effects on society: Culturally people are getting far away from their traditions. Newer generations are unaware of our ethics and traditions and are even making fun of it. For example, doctors earlier were treated as god and people had faith in them. Inspite of knowledge and advances, being less available, they were able to built faith amongst the society due to the communication skills as these skills were their strong fort. (4) Effects on next generation.

Question 5

How to solve the problem of communication gap and generation gap?

Answer

Following suggestions were given by the students:

Be a good listener. Resolve your feelings and share your ideas and problems. Learn to be patient enough to listen to your parents and grandparents advice as they are more experienced. Seek advice from your parents. Make older generations understand the advantages of newer technologies and make them available to them. Treat elders with due respect. Give equal importance to career and family by giving more time to family members. Social and family get together should be organized more frequently.


  Discussion Top


Effective communication includes good working relationships within health care system and increased patient satisfaction, improve patient compliance and in some cases, lead to better health. In order to deliver effective healthcare, doctors are expected to communicate competently both orally and in writing with a range of professionals, patients, families, and by evaluating their own abilities. As per the Board of Medical Education, 2004, doctors need communication skills in a wide range of different contexts including clinical context, e.g., communication skills are necessary to communicate research findings, to write more generally for journals and magazines. In addition as a profession, doctors' communication skills help to determine how medicine is presented to the public and to the legislature.[5]

Scott[6] has given 10 important tips for healthy communication skills which can strengthen relationships and reduce stress. These are:

  1. Stay focused: Try not to bring up past hurts or other topics. Stay focused on the present, feelings, understanding one another, and finding a solution
  2. Listen carefully: Truly effective communication goes both ways. Don't interrupt. Don't get defensive. Just hear them and reflect back what they're saying so they know you've heard. Then you'll understand them better and they'll be more willing to listen to you
  3. Try to see their point of view: In a conflict, most of us primarily want to feel heard and understood. We talk a lot about our point of view to get the other person to see things our way. Try to really see the other side, and then you can better explain yours. Others will more likely be willing to listen if they feel heard
  4. Respond to criticism with empathy
  5. Own what's yours: Realize that personal responsibility is a strength, not a weakness. Effective communication involves admitting when you're wrong
  6. Use “I” messages: Rather than saying things like, “you really messed up here,” begin statements with “I,” and make them about yourself and your feelings, like, “I feel frustrated when this happens”
  7. Look for compromise. Instead of trying to “win” the argument, look for solutions that meet everybody's needs. Healthy communication involves finding a resolution that both sides can happy with
  8. Take a time-out: Sometimes tempers get heated and it's just too difficult to continue a discussion without it becoming an argument or a fight. If you feel yourself or your partner starting to get too angry to be constructive, or showing some destructive communication patterns, it's okay to take a break from the discussion until you both cool off. Sometimes good communication means knowing when to take a break
  9. Don't give up: While taking a break from the discussion is sometimes a good idea, always come back to it. If you both approach the situation with a constructive attitude, mutual respect, and willingness to see the other's point of view or at least find a solution, you can make progress toward the goal of a resolution to the conflict
  10. Ask for help if you need it: If one or both of you has trouble staying respectful during the conflict, or if you've tried resolving conflict with your partner on your own, and the situation just doesn't seem to be improving, you might benefit from a few sessions with a therapist.


For communication scholars, the matter of rethinking the limits of multiculturalism and its primary critical category, cultural identity in the context of globalization is important, as it underscores the need for what Thussu has called “internationalizing communication studies”[7]

It is but natural that when there is a generation gap, there will also be a communication gap. Many younger people often complain that they find it difficult to communicate with members of the older generation and they consider it to be frustrating experience. It is said that while considering the terms communication and generation gap, one should realize that communication can be made effective if people will talk with each other rather than talking at each other.

The disparity in views, outlooks, lifestyle, values, and perception of parents or the older generation on the other hand results in the generation gap. The youngsters want to believe in the philosophy of leading a merry life and in tune with the overhanging world of fashion which outrage the modesty of parents. The old age tradition values of respect for elders and love and attention for youngsters are being lost due to which generation gap is becoming reality.

Six Principles for Managing Generations Successfully as suggested by Murphy SA, Claire Raines Associates, 2007,[8] are as follows:

  1. Individuals often make judgments about each other without realizing those judgments are generational in nature
  2. Ask people about their needs and preferences
  3. Offer options. Working successfully with a mix of generations means offering as many choices as possible to suit the needs and preferences of a diverse workforce
  4. Personalize your style. Be flexible. Learn about preferences of others on the team and find creative ways to meet their expectations
  5. Build on strengths. The best mixed-generation work teams recognize the unique strengths of each individual
  6. Pursue different perspectives. Choose people with varied backgrounds and perspectives to work on projects together.


In our study, while discussing with health profession's students, for the question “how to resolve communication and generation gap?” they suggested that one has to be a good listener, resolve your feelings and share your ideas and problems, learn to be patient enough to listen to your parents and grandparents, treat elders with respect, seek advice from your parents, and one has to make older generations understand the advantages of newer technologies and make them available to them.

Research shows that intergenerational activity offers heightened learning for both youth and adult groups, increases self-confidence, increases cross-generational comfort levels, eliminating stereotypes that each generation may hold for the other.[9],[10],[11],[12]

Age, time, and experience or the lack of it, forces the two generations to view the same object from opposite directions.

Grandparents can also play a constructive role in order to bridge the gap of thought, attitude, and way of life and approaches to it. Generation gap is not that serious a problem if families can learn to sit together and talk the things out, ironing the difference and sharing the experiences. When this communication barrier is transcended and the ice broken, the problem does not remain that serious anymore. Talking it out calmly and coolly, with the idea of sorting things out, changing for each other and changing for better can be the most helpful instrument in bridging the generation gap.


  Conclusion Top


As per the knowledge and attitudes of health profession's students, generation gap can be solved by being a good listener, sharing ideas and problems, seeking advice from parents and grandparents, treating elders with respect, and giving equal importance to career and family. These opinions can be advantageous in achieving good communication skills not only within the healthcare team and professional-patient interaction but also in the field of medical and other healthcare practices. Speaking styles, body gestures including the facial ones, pitch, and tone of one's voice may also have an additional effect in achieving good communication skills.

Financial support and sponsorship

Nil.

Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts of interest.

 
  References Top

1.
Adcox S.About.com Guide. Looking at the Generation Gap, Identifying Generational Differences and Their Causes. Available from: . [Last accessed on 2016 Feb 04].  Back to cited text no. 1
    
2.
Falk G, Falk UA. Youth culture and the generation gap Algora Publishing, New York, © 2005 by Algora Publishing in the name of Raymond Monsour Scurfield ISBN 087586368X, 9780875863689. p. 254.  Back to cited text no. 2
    
3.
Biocca F. New media technology and youth: Trends in the evolution of new media. J Adolesc Health 2000;27 2 Suppl: 22-9.  Back to cited text no. 3
    
4.
Buckingham D. Media education and the end of the critical consumer. Harvard Educ Rev 2003;73:309-28.  Back to cited text no. 4
    
5.
Board of Medical Education. Communication Skills Education for Doctors: An Update November 2004. Board of Medical Education; 2004. p. 2.  Back to cited text no. 5
    
6.
Scott E. Available from: http://www.About.comGuide. [Last updated on 2011 Sep 18].  Back to cited text no. 6
    
7.
Thussu D, editor. Introduction. In: Internationalizing Media Studies. New York: Routledge; 2009. p. 1-11.  Back to cited text no. 7
    
8.
9.
Bullock J, Osborne S. Seniors', volunteers', and families' perspectives of an intergenerational program in a rural community. Educ Gerontol 1999;25:237-51.  Back to cited text no. 9
    
10.
Chen N. Building bridges – An intergenerational program. J Ext 1997;35. Available from: . [Last accessed on 2016 Feb 04].  Back to cited text no. 10
    
11.
Pinquart M, Wenzel S, Sorensen S. Changes in attitudes among children and elderly adults in intergenerational group work. Educ Gerontol 2000;26:523-40.  Back to cited text no. 11
    
12.
Shipman M. How senior volunteers and intergenerational programs contribute to education and enrich lives. Educ Can 1999;39:31-4.  Back to cited text no. 12
    




 

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