Introduction

Population aging poses a significant challenge to healthcare systems, increasing the demand for professionals trained to care for older adults. The attitudes of nursing students, as future nurses, toward old age and older adults may be associated with the quality of care provided. One factor that may be associated with these attitudes is anxiety about aging, including concerns related to physical changes, loss of functional ability, social relationships, and later life. This study aimed to provide a preliminary evaluation of the psychometric properties of the Polish version of the Anxiety about Aging Scale (AAS) in a sample of nursing students.

Material and methods

A cross-sectional online survey was conducted between August and October 2024. A total of 235 nursing students completed the 20-item AAS. The original four-factor model was first assessed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was then used to examine a modified structure, followed by CFA of the proposed model in the same sample. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s a.

Results

Six items were excluded based on the exploratory analysis, yielding a proposed 14-item, four-factor structure. In this sample, the modified model showed a comparative fit index (CFI) of 0.972 and a root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) of 0.050. Cronbach’s a values for the four subscales ranged from 0.80 to 0.89.

Conclusions

The findings suggest that the proposed 14-item structure may be useful for assessing anxiety about aging. However, the model fit indices should be interpreted cautiously because item selection and subsequent CFA were conducted using the same data. Content validity and test–retest reliability require further assessment. The factor structure should also be confirmed in an independent sample before the proposed version can be recommended for wider use.