Abstract
This study aimed to verify the occurrence of domestic abuse against male and female elderly people in 2006, using medical examination reports, and to identify aggressors and injuries caused, in accordance with the International Classification of Diseases (ICD - 10). The sample consisted of 87 male and female elderly persons aged 60 or more, who lived in Ribeirão Preto-SP, Brazil, filed a complaint at a Police Station in 2002. Medical legal exam reports were consulted. The data were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics. Domestic abuse occurred more frequently among men (58.6%) who were attacked by family members, such as children, grandchildren, sons-in-law and daughters-in-law (47.1%). With respect to the kinds of injuries, 33.5% manifested unspecified superficial shoulder and arm trauma. Elder abuse is becoming increasingly clear in society, thus acquiring social and public health dimensions.
Highlights
In Brazil, in the past five decades, an inversion in population characteristics has been observed, that is, there has been a decrease in birth and mortality rates, which leads to life extension
The main complaint reported in the police reports indicates physical violence against the elderly at home
In a previous survey, performed with reports from police stations in the city of São Paulo, in 1998, which aimed to investigate homicide in the female population, countless gaps were found in these occurrence records, making data collection difficult
Summary
In Brazil, in the past five decades, an inversion in population characteristics has been observed, that is, there has been a decrease in birth and mortality rates, which leads to life extension. By 2025, the number of elderly in the country will amount to about 34 million, which will put them in the sixth place in the world ranking of countries with the highest number of people in this age group[1]. Populational aging is, nowadays, a world phenomenon and, due to this fact, in the past decades, societies have focused their attention on political, economic, cultural and health issues caused by this phenomenon. Growing violence against the elderly population has become a broadly discussed issue in the scientific community, but actions against it are still fragile[2]. The concepts of violence, maltreatment and abuse are often used with the same meaning and, even though people interpret them as physical aggression, there are significant cultural differences in several societies
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