THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN LONELINESS AND ELDER ABUSE: FINDINGS FROM A COMMUNITY-DWELLING CHINESE AGING POPULATION

Abstract

Elder abuse (EA) is a pervasive human rights issue that affects 2 million older adults in the U.S. However, little has been done to examine the etiology between victim’s psychological distress and specific subtypes of abuse, impeding development of effective intervention and prevention strategies. The study examines the associations between self-perceived loneliness and five EA subtypes among a U.S. Chinese older population. Data were from a representative sample of 3,157 community-dwelling older adults of the Population Study of Chinese Elderly in Chicago (PINE). We tested the associations using multiple logistic regression models to control for potential confounding factors. Dependent variables are EA measured by 56 items in aspects of psychological abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, financial exploitation, and caregiver neglect. Independent variable is loneliness measured by a validated 3-item R-UCLA scale. Older adults who has felt lonely were more likely to be victims of any EA (odds ratio [OR]:2.06 [1.68, 2.53]). Specifically, the presence of loneliness was associated with increased risks of psychological abuse (OR: 2.61 [2.00, 3.39]), financial exploitation (OR: 1.46 [1.11, 1.92]), and caregiver neglect (OR: 1.67 [1.12, 2.50]), whereas no significant associations were found between loneliness with physical and sexual abuse. The results reinforced the complexity of EA and differences among its subtypes, which call for more longitudinal and close examinations of the etiology of EA subtypes to devise targeted prevention and intervention strategies.