Abstract
Abstract Objective: to identify the prevalence of neglect and psychological abuse of older adults and their associations with the characteristics of the victim, the aggressor and the type of aggression in Espírito Santo, Brazil. Method: a cross-sectional study, with data on reports of neglect and psychological abuse of older adults registered in the Espírito Santo Reports of Disease and Harm Information System between 2011-2018. Analyzes were conducted according to the type of abuse and the independent variables were composed of the characteristics of the victim, the aggressor and the type of aggression. For multivariate analysis, Poisson Regression with robust variance was used. Results: during the study period, 296 cases of neglect (18,1%; CI95%: 16,31-20,04) and 193 cases of psychological abuse (11,8%; CI95%: 10,32-13,46) were reported. Neglect was more prevalent against older adults aged 80 years and over, who were black, had a partner, and were disabled, and was often committed by the victim’s son(s) or daughter(s), in their home, in urban areas, in an unmotivated and chronic manner. Psychological abuse was associated with women, perpetrated by men, after alcohol consumption, motivated by intolerance, in the urban area and carried out in a chronic manner. Conclusion: the characteristics of the victim, aggressor and aggression were associated with the occurrence of negligence and psychological abuse differently for each type of abuse. Such abuse is often committed in a veiled manner, and thus goes underreported. It is believed that with the diffusion of knowledge and the carrying out of new studies will contribute to the confrontation, monitoring and prevention of this disease.
Highlights
Abuse of older adults can be subdivided into the categories of physical, psychological, sexual, financial abuse or neglect, and conceptually refers to any type of single or repeated action which results in injury or suffering to older adults[1]
In view of the above, and bearing in mind the importance of revealing abuse against older adults, in order to contribute to a better understanding of the problem and assist in preventing and tackling it, the present study aimed to identify the prevalence of neglect and psychological abuse against older adults and the association with the characteristics of the victim, the aggressor and the aggression, in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil
Neglect-type abuse was observed as the second most reported in the state (n=296; 18.1%; 95% CI: 16.31-20.04), followed by psychological abuse (n=193; 11.8% ; 95% CI: 10.32-13.46)
Summary
Abuse of older adults can be subdivided into the categories of physical, psychological, sexual, financial abuse or neglect, and conceptually refers to any type of single or repeated action which results in injury or suffering to older adults[1]. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), abuse is responsible for low quality of life, emotional disorders, psychological stress, isolation, injuries and physical trauma, in addition to increasing the risk of hospital admissions or stays in nursing homes, which may result in death[1]. The worldwide prevalence of abuse against older adults is between 14.3 and 15.7%, varying considerably according to the type of injury4.5. In Brazilian state capitals, the prevalence of abuse against older adults varies from 12.4% to 14.4%6.7, with psychological abuse being the most frequent, representing 10.7% of cases[7]
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