The elders as victims of chronic domestic violence, and their mental health profile in Nazarabad City, Iran, in 2017: A short report

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Elder abuse has been extensively recognized as one of the complicated general health issues and the abused elders experience mental health problems. In this regard, this study is carried out with the aim to investigate the elderly as victims of chronic domestic violence and their mental health profile in Naziabad City, Iran. METHODS: The current study is a cross-sectional study with the statistical population consisting of all elders living in Nazarabad. The individuals older than 60 years participated in this study were selected using the convenience sampling method and filled the Elder Abuse Questionnaire (EAQ). The subjects who were not willing to cooperate were removed from the study and the ones who were diagnosed as domestic violence victims filled out the General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and correlation method in SPSS software. RESULTS: In total, 243 elders with a mean age of 67 ± 7 years old participated in this study. Of them, 144 (59.3%) and 99 (40.7%) were women and men, respectively. The most common abuse reported was about neglect and inattention of children, emotional abuse, and physical abuse as 104 (41.6%), 69 (28.4%), and 16 (6.6%), respectively. CONCLUSION: Elders as domestic violence victims had lower general health and higher anxiety and depression; hence, it is essential for the health system professionals and experts to provide violence