Contagion of Violence Across the Life Course: Phenotypes of Child Maltreatment, Intimate Partner Violence and Elder Abuse in a U.S. Chinese Population

Abstract

Background: Victims of interpersonal violence might have higher risks of re-experiencing violence, which has been insufficiently examined among the older populations. Even less is known about the interconnectedness among violence phenotypes in minority populations. Method: The study used cross-sectional data collected of 3,157 U.S. Chinese older adults (aged 60 or older) in Chicago to assess phenotypes (psychological, physical/sexual, financial exploitation, caregiver neglect) of child maltreatment (CM), intimate partner violence (IPV), and elder abuse (EA). Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to examine interconnectedness among these relationships. Findings: Prevalence of interpersonal violence was 11·4% for CM (physical/sexual 10·2%, psychological: 2·4%), 6·5% for IPV (psychological: 5·3%, physical/sexual: 2·8%), and 15·2% for EA (caregiver neglect: 11·2%, psychological: 9·8%, financial exploitation: 9·3%, physical/sexual: 1·2%). After adjusting for potential confounding variables, CM psychological was associated with increased risks for IPV psychological (OR 7·60, 95% CI 4·29-13·45), IPV physical/sexual (OR 4·06 CI 1·71-9·63), EA psychological (OR 3·79, 95% CI 2·20-6·51), and EA financial exploitation (OR 2·07, 95% CI 1·12-3·81). CM physical/sexual was associated with increased risks for IPV physical/sexual (OR 1·86, 95% CI 1·02-3·38), EA psychological (OR 1·70, 95% CI 1·20-2·42) and EA financial exploitation (OR 2·38, 95% CI 1·72, 3·30). IPV were associated with increased risks for all EA subtypes except for caregiver neglect. Interpretation: Professionals working with older adults should be informed that a history of interpersonal violence might further predispose one to EA. The cumulative impact of violence should also be considered when providing services or care to violence victims. Funding Statement:The authors declare: None to report. Declaration of Interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest regarding the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Ethics Approval Statement: The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Rush University Medical Center.