Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Medical Education
Date Submitted: Sep 24, 2025
Date Accepted: May 26, 2026
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Bridging Generations in Psychiatric Long-Term Care Education: Evaluating a Youth–Elder Co-Learning Model to Enhance Communication and Empathy
ABSTRACT
Background:
Taiwan is projected to become a "super-aged" society by 2025, with over 20% of its population aged 65 and above, leading to a rising demand for professional care services for older adults with mental health issues. Students in long-term care (LTC) programs need to be well-equipped with psychiatric knowledge, communication skills, and empathy. This study introduces an innovative intergenerational learning model, "Youth-Elder Co-Learning" (YECL), designed to foster mutual understanding and respect between generations.
Objective:
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the YECL approach in enhancing students' professional knowledge, communication competence, and empathy towards community psychiatric LTC, while also exploring their learning outcomes and satisfaction.
Methods:
An instructional intervention was implemented with students enrolled in an elective course at a private university. Assessment tools included the Knowledge of Community Mental Health LTC Scale, the Communication Competency Scale, and the Scale of Empathy, with self-assessments at pre-, mid-, and post-course time points. Peer evaluations were conducted during midterm and final stages, and a Course Student Feedback Survey was administered at the end of the semester.
Results:
Students reported high satisfaction rates, ranging from 92.4% to 95.3%. Statistically significant improvements were observed in peer-assessed professional knowledge, communication competence, and empathy, as well as in self-assessed communication competence. However, self-assessed professional knowledge and empathy did not show statistically significant improvement, indicating a potential gap between internal perception and external performance.
Conclusions:
The YECL model demonstrated positive effects in improving peer-evaluated professional knowledge, communication competence, and empathy, and self-assessed communication competence within a community psychiatric LTC course. The discrepancy in self-assessment warrants further qualitative research to understand factors such as modesty or increased awareness of professional expectations. This model suggests the value of interactive, reflective, and immersive teaching strategies for comprehensive competency development in LTC education. Clinical Trial: NON
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