Abstract
To analyze the risk of violence associated to functional capacity and sociodemographic characteristics of hospitalized elderly. Quantitative, cross-sectional, multicenter study conducted with elderly receiving care at university hospitals of the municipalities of João Pessoa and Campina Grande, in the state of Paraíba, Brazil. The scales Katz and Hwalek-Sengstock Elder Abuse Screening Test were applied. The data was analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics using Chi-squared Pearson test, Spearman correlation test, and multiple logistic regression. The participating elderly amounted to 323. The risk of violence was predominant among female elders aged 60 to 70 who are unable to read or write, live with someone, perform no labor activity, and whose income is higher than a minimum wage. Elders who were dependent for basic and instrumental activities presented a 2.11 score (Confidence Interval = 1.22-3.64; p = 0.000) and 1.70 (1.01-2.85; p = 0.044) and a higher risk of violence. Elders who depended on other people to perform both complex and basic activities are the most exposed to situations of violence.
Highlights
Violence against the elderly is defined by the World Health Organization as “any action, either isolated or repeated, or even the absence of due action, which causes suffering and distress in a relation in which there is expectation of confidence”(1)
The sample was composed of 323 elders, most of whom were female (196; 60.7%), aged 60 to 70 (170; 52.6%), able to read and write, living with someone (288; 89.2%) and with an income of 1 to 2 minimum wages (259; 80.2%)
In the association between risk of violence and the sociodemographic variables, as illustrated in Table 1, there was a significance for sex (p = 0.004)
Summary
Violence against the elderly is defined by the World Health Organization as “any action, either isolated or repeated, or even the absence of due action, which causes suffering and distress in a relation in which there is expectation of confidence”(1). Considering that the aging process leads to physiological, functional, and social changes which favor vulnerability and interpersonal conflict, this process may result in an increase of the prevalence of Violence against the Elderly[2]. Given the increased prevalence of violence against the elderly, this phenomenon is verified to have advanced as an issue with little social visibility[2]. With the exponential increase of these cases, the outcomes were brought to the health environment and ratified as a public health problem. Concerning the prevalence of these cases worldwide, the results are observed to be heterogeneous, as shown by studies in Iran (90.4%)(3), Croatia (21.4%)(4), and Brazil (10%)(5). In Brazil, the prevalence of these cases of aggression is related to females with low education and cognitive levels, lack of social support, and reduction of functional capacity[5]
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