Comparison of the Rates and Types of Domestic Elder Abuse and the Impact on Their Quality of Life in Dezful

Abstract

Introduction: Elder abuse is a form of domestic violence and can endanger health and Quality of life of the elderly person and create painful conditions for him. Thus abuse has to be one of the factors threatening the survival and Quality of life of the elderly. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between domestic elder abuse and their Quality of life in Dezful. Methods: This descriptive analytical study is performed among the elderly residents in the city of Dezful in 2014. The study population in this study included, 420 men and women aged60 years and higher living in Dezful City and surrounding villages. The collected data was analyzed using spss V 20. To measure domestic elderly abuse, the standard domestic elderly abuse questionnaire was used and in order to measure Quality of life the standard health related quality of life questionnaire (SF-36) was used. Results: The results showed that the highest abuse in urban and rural areas related to emotional negligence with the average 24.14 and 30% and the lowest was associated with abandonment with the average 9.40 and 3.33% respectively. In terms of Quality of life the average score for overall quality of life in urban elderly was 62.95% and in rural elderly was 57.55%. Conclusions: According to this study there was domestic elderly abuse in urban and rural areas which could reduce Quality of life of the elderly in this city especially the rural area. This conclusion emphasizes the importance of paying attention to elderly abuse and quality of life of elderly people.