Aging knowledge, geriatric care attitudes, and career choice motivation among nursing students: A latent profile analysis and mediation analysis.

BACKGROUND: The global aging population has intensified the demand for geriatric care, yet a critical shortage of professionals persists, partly due to nursing students' low motivation to pursue careers in this field. Knowledge of aging and attitudes towards geriatric care are key antecedents to career choice motivation, but their complex interrelationships and the heterogeneity in attitudes remain underexplored. AIM: To identify latent profiles of geriatric care attitudes, examine differences in knowledge of aging and career choice motivation across profiles, and investigate knowledge of aging's mediating role between attitudes and career choice motivation. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 429 third-year nursing students recruited via convenience sampling from a single university in Chongqing, China (May-July 2025). Participants were included if they majored in nursing, voluntarily participated, and could communicate fluently in Mandarin. Data were collected using the Facts on Aging Quiz (FAQ), Perspectives on Caring for Older Patients (PCOP) scale, and Career Choice Motivation Questionnaire for Geriatric Nursing (CCMQ-GN). Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to identify attitude profiles, and mediation analysis examined the role of knowledge of aging between attitudes and career choice motivation. RESULTS: Three distinct attitude profiles were identified: ambivalent-coexistent (12.12%), moderate-balanced (27.97%), and positive-pure (59.91%). The positive-pure group showed the most favorable attitudes but not the highest career choice motivation. The ambivalent-coexistent group, despite conflict, exhibited the strongest motivation. Knowledge of aging mediated the relationship between attitudes and career choice motivation only in the moderate-balanced group (indirect effect: β = -1.1068, 95%CI [-2.1281, -0.2945]); no mediation was found in the positive-pure group. CONCLUSIONS: Three distinct attitudinal profiles exist with differential career choice motivation. Knowledge of aging plays a conditional mediating role, effective only for the moderate-balanced group. Tailored interventions are warranted: a. for the moderate-balanced group, priority should be given to systematic knowledge training to build care confidence; b. for the positive-pure group, interventions should focus on optimizing professional environments and career prospects; c. for the ambivalent-coexistent group, empowerment training can help resolve cognitive conflicts and leverage their high motivation. Tailored interventions are needed. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Not applicable.