The risk of abuse and mental health status of elderly residing in urban communities of Delhi

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Elderly is a vital part of the population of any country who owe respect and attention equally to any other section of the population. The present study was aimed at assessing the risk of abuse amongst the elderly, mental health status of elderly and correlation of abuse with their mental health of the elderly residing in urban communities of Delhi. Materials and Methods: This study was cross-sectional and descriptive conducted on 270 elderly chosen by cluster sampling method residing in the urban community of South Delhi, India. Sociodemographic data, elder abuse and their mental health were assessed by sociodemographic tool, Hwalek-Sengstock Elder Abuse Screening Test and Self Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20), respectively. Results: Online Social Science Statistics package was used for analysis of the study. In the present study, majority of the participants were male and were in the age of 61–70 years. Approximately 50% of elderly were uneducated and not working. The majority (63%) of the elderly reported a mild risk of abuse. The majority of the participants reported altered mental health, i.e., SRQ >7. In the study findings, elder abuse and mental health were significantly associated (at P < 0.05) with each other. Conclusion: The study showed that elder abuse and mental well-being of elderly are related to each other and it requires appropriate involvement of concerned authority to protect elderly living in the community of Delhi, India.