Elder Mistreatment and its Subtypes across Different Sociodemographic and Socioeconomic Groups among U.S. Chinese Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

Ruijia Chen

doi:10.23937/2469-5858/1510001

Abstract

To examine the risk of overall elder mistreatment (EM) and its subtypes in each sociodemographic and socioeconomic group based on different definitional criteria. In person interviews were conducted with 3,159 Chinese older adults in the Greater Chicago Area from 2011 to 2013. Psychological mistreatment, physical mistreatment, sexual abuse, caregiver neglect, and financial exploitation were measured using definitional approaches from the least strict to the strictest criteria. Physical, psychological mistreatment, and financial exploitation were closely correlated with each other, but caregiver neglect was not correlated with any other types of mistreatment. The risk of EM and its subtypes across sociodemographic groups differed by types and definitions of mistreatment. Future longitudinal studies are needed to quantity the risk and protective factors associated with EM and its subtypes with consideration of definitional issues in Chinese aging populations.

Highlights

elder mistreatment (EM) was first identified by British gerontologists in 1975 using the term “granny battering”, but it is not until recently that researchers have rigorously examined the issue [1]
Older adults aged 60 to 70 years old had a higher prevalence of all definitions of overall EM than other age groups
The findings demonstrate that physical mistreatment, psychological mistreatment, and financial exploitation were correlated with each other, but caregiver neglect was not correlated with other EM subtypes

Summary

Introduction

EM was first identified by British gerontologists in 1975 using the term “granny battering”, but it is not until recently that researchers have rigorously examined the issue [1]. Extant research has not yet reached an agreement as to what constitute EM, resulting in various measurements based on different methodological concerns being developed and employed. The divergence in prevalence and characteristics of elder mistreatment has prompted discussion as to whether there is a need for a more unifying measurement. To address this issue, in 2014, Dong used different operational definitions to assess EM and its subtypes and found that the prevalence of EM and its subtypes varied significantly by the strictness of definition used [8]. No empirical evidence has been presented showing clearly differences in characteristics associated with elder mistreatment by using different operational definitions

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Conclusion