Abstract
BackgroundExperiences of abuse in relationships with an expectation of trust are a common phenomenon among older people and is called elder abuse (EA). This can take various forms, such as physical, verbal, emotional, psychological, financial, sexual abuse or neglect. Due to their high vulnerability and difficulties in receiving support, people aged over 80 years old have been pointed out as a group that needs special focus in research.ObjectivePrevalence, risk factors and consequences of EA for different aspects of quality of life are explored among the oldest old.Material and methodsComputer-assisted personal interviews were conducted in a representative sample of the oldest old in North Rhine-Westphalia (Germany). 988 self-report interviews without third persons present of the NRW80+ study are used to assess EA with the help of the elder abuse and emotional consequences scale (EACS). The EACS describes EA in six dimensions that give a broad understanding of EA.ResultsPrevalence of experiences of EA within the last 12 months was 54.1%. In logistic regression, multimorbidity, lower functioning, age below 90 years, smaller social network size, and aggressive behaviorwere significant risk factors for EA. People experiencing EA showed less life satisfaction and autonomy and increased loneliness and depressive symptoms.ConclusionEA is prevalent among the oldest old. Serious consequences of EA on life results can be shown with a broad operationalization of EA. Future research should focus on a deeper understanding of reasons for EA and reflect on the relationship between and the perspectives of perpetrators and victims.Supplementary InformationThe online version of this article (10.1007/s00391-021-01945-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Experiences of abuse in relationships with an expectation of trust are a common phenomenon among older people and is called elder abuse (EA)
The most common working definition of EA, which is used in most studies and adopted by the World Health Organization (WHO) describes EA as: a single or repeated act or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which causes harm or distress to an older person
The definition of EA already implies a connection between life conditions and emotional results which are contemplated in the broader challenges and potentials (CHAPO) framework. With respect to this model, we have investigated the role of disposable resources, skills, and competencies relating to experiences of EA and linked these experiences to the model-inherent life results depression, loneliness, life satisfaction, and autonomy
Summary
Experiences of abuse in relationships with an expectation of trust are a common phenomenon among older people and is called elder abuse (EA) This can take various forms, such as physical, verbal, emotional, psychological, financial, sexual abuse or neglect. Due to their high vulnerability and difficulties in receiving support, people aged over 80 years old have been pointed out as a group that needs special focus in research. Elder abuse has serious consequences for the health and well-being of older people and can be of various forms: physical, verbal, psychological/emotional, sexual and financial. It can reflect intentional or unintentional neglect [31, p. It can reflect intentional or unintentional neglect [31, p. 1].
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