Elder Abuse Research Articles

Legal Framework for the Aged: Progress and Pitfalls in India's Elderly Welfare Policies

Old age is the most vulnerable phase of human life cycle. It is at this phase that the elderly requires maximum care and protection. But the sociocultural changes associated with the globalization and development has weakened the traditional values and family support systems for senior citizens. There is an increase in the prevalence of elder abuse and difficulties in getting appropriate care and support. The Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens (MWP) Act came into existence in the year 2007 is an important legislation in India which provides maintenance support to elderly parents and senior citizens and also safeguarded the elderly from exploitation and abuse. Considering the challenges it poised an immediate need to incorporate the necessary amendments was felt and the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2019 was passed. The new Act was passed so that the act gets more pragmatic value and becomes and important tool for elderly care and protection and reduce vulnerabilities and ensure holistic care with support in various bio-psycho-social domains.

Elder abuse victimization, mental health, and protective factors

Objectives This study investigated the association between elder abuse and depressive symptoms, as well as protective factors against adverse mental health outcomes from elder abuse. Methods Participants were drawn from the 5928 graduates of the WLS, Wave 3 study (age range 70–73) who completed both in-person and telephone interviews. From this large group, 975 (16.4%) participants reported having experienced elder abuse and were included in the sample. Path analysis using Mplus was employed. Results Elder abuse victimization was significantly associated with depressive symptoms, and those who had suffered multiple types of elder abuse experienced more severe mental health outcomes. However, both light physical activity conducted alone and having a friend as a confidant were negatively associated with depressive symptoms among older adults who had experienced elder abuse. Conclusion Given the significant association between elder abuse and negative mental health outcomes among older survivors, screening and prevention programs are recommended. Older adults who have experienced elder abuse may benefit from programs designed to increase physical activity and help older adults build and maintain close relationships with friends and confidants.

The Quality of Life of Older Adults in Rural Eastern India and Its Influencing Factors: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Aims This study aimed to assess the quality of life (QoL) of older adults in rural Odisha, India, exploring its multidimensional nature across physical, psychological, social, and environmental domains. The impact of depression and various sociodemographic factors on QoL was also investigated. Methods The research was conducted in the Tangi block of Khordha district, Odisha, encompassing 468 older adults. The World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire, Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15), and sociodemographic questionnaire were used in data collection. Sampling employed a multistage approach, with statistical analysis utilizing Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 (IBM SPSS Statistics, Armonk, NY), including t-tests for normally distributed data and the Mann-Whitney U test for non-normally distributed data. Results The QoL of older adults in rural Odisha showed variability, with physical and social domains exhibiting relatively positive scores compared to psychological and environmental domains. Depression significantly impacted all QoL dimensions, with the most profound effect observed in global QoL and global health. Sociodemographic factors such as employment, substance use, elder abuse, adverse life events, and poverty were identified as significant determinants of global QoL. Additionally, recreational activity, elder abuse, education, and employment significantly affected all QoL domains. Conclusions This study reveals the complex landscape of QoL of older adults in rural Odisha. The findings emphasize the need for comprehensive interventions targeting mental health, social support, and environmental conditions to enhance the overall well-being of this population. Policymakers and healthcare professionals should consider these multidimensional factors to develop effective strategies for improving the QoL of older adults in similar contexts.

A Study on the Response Policy for Elder Abuse in the Facilities - Focusing on the Current Status of Elder Abuse in Jeollabuk-do Facilities -

A Study on the Response Policy for Elder Abuse in the Facilities - Focusing on the Current Status of Elder Abuse in Jeollabuk-do Facilities -

Elder Abuse in the Emergency Department

Elder Abuse in the Emergency Department

Determining patterns and types of violence against the elderly in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT Reports indicate an increase in the incidence of violence against the elderly in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). This study aimed to determine the types and risk factors of elder abuse in KSA. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted of abuse among the elderly (65 years and older; n = 128) reported in the National Family Safety Registry (NFSR) between April 2017 and December 2021. Most cases involved women (65.6%) and married individuals (54.7%). Physical abuse was the most common type (44.5%), followed by neglect (34.4%). Men, married individuals, people without family support, and people with physical disabilities were more likely to experience physical abuse. Elderly people, single individuals, women, and those lacking family support showed an increased likelihood of neglect. Preventive strategies should be implemented through awareness raising, capacity building, resource allocation, and the exchange of multidisciplinary good practices across sectors.

Intergenerational financial assistance with home ownership: Considering the potential for financial elder abuse

AbstractIntergenerational financial assistance with home ownership has attracted increasing scholarly interest in recent years. Existing research has focussed primarily on its impact on inequality, housing market outcomes and notions of meritocracy, as well as the relational dynamics through which it is negotiated. The topic of financial elder abuse has, however, remained an area of relative silence in this literature despite concerns raised by advocacy groups. In this article, we consider how intergenerational financial assistance may facilitate attitudes and behaviours that can result in financial elder abuse. To do so, we draw on an analysis of the Banking Code of Practice and the presumption of advancement, each of which shapes the way intergenerational financial assistance with home ownership unfolds in Australia. We then consider how such arrangements play out in practice through analysis of interviews conducted with donors and recipients of assistance of this type. We ultimately argue that in the context of intergenerational financial assistance with home ownership, the potential for financial elder abuse should be considered not just as an individual or family issue rooted in relationships, but as the outcome of ageist social attitudes and structural problems in the asset economy.

Training Senior Companion Volunteers to Identify and Report Adult Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation.

Elder abuse is a national public health challenge that can have dire consequences for the older adults who experience it in any form. The Senior Companion Program presents a unique opportunity to address this public health challenge. An in-person training for Senior Companion volunteers across Ohio on how to recognize and report elder abuse was developed, implemented, and evaluated prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Evaluation consisted of surveys distributed prior to and at the conclusion of the training. A total of 302 volunteers were trained with a survey response rate of 76%. While there was significant knowledge improvement in one of the five knowledge items (p < .000, all other ps ≥ .065), volunteers' subjective rating of their knowledge on abuse significantly improved (p = .029). Training older adult volunteers working with other community-dwelling adults is likely a valuable strategy to educate and protect against elder abuse.

The Indigo Project: Participatory Action Research with Gender and Sexual Minority Survivors of Elder Abuse

Though research suggests that older adults belonging to gender and sexual minorities (GSM) are at greater risk of abuse and neglect, more needs to be done to investigate this situation, provide solid data, offer support to survivors and better inform those providing services. This article reports on a participatory action research project in which nine older adults with lived experience of abuse were interviewed, as were the seniors’ programmer from our community partner organization and a trauma counsellor who supported our participants throughout the project. Participants were interviewed at least twice, often more, and the resulting interview transcripts were edited with the help and consent of the participant concerned, to form narratives which were content-analyzed.&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt;The goals of the project were to raise awareness of the underreported issue of abuse of elder GSM individuals, to consider how elder abuse might both differ and look the same as it does in the mainstream population, and to offer mental health supports and safe spaces for healing for our participants. This deep dive into lived experience illuminates how homophobia and transphobia (both historic and contemporary) play out in subtle and complex ways. We conclude with recommendations for researchers and care/service providers.

Elder abuse, depression, anxiety, and stress in community-dwelling older adults.

Elder abuse as an important public health issue is associated in the literature with various physical and psychological symptoms. The aim of the study is to determine the relationship between elder abuse and depression, anxiety, and stress in the elderly living in the community. The cross-sectional study was completed with 729 older people. Data were collected through a face-to-face interview and a survey form. The Geriatric Mistreatment Scale (GMS) was used to evaluate elder abuse and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) was used to evaluate depression, anxiety, and stress. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to determine the relationship between elder abuse and depression, anxiety, and stress. Of the participants, 20.9% were exposed to at least one type of abuse, 9.2% experienced physical abuse, 18.2% experienced psychological abuse, 4.4% experienced neglect, and 7.0% had financial abuse. The general prevalence of moderate to very severe depression, anxiety, and stress among the elderly was respectively 17.1%, 16%, and 10%. As a result of multivariate analysis it was determined that neglect (t = 6245; ß = 4952) and economic abuse (t = 3865; ß = 3350) had statistically significant effects on depression; psychological abuse (t = 2924; ß = 0,992), economic abuse (t = 3127; ß = 3517) and neglect (t = 5913; ß = 4810) had statistically significant effects on anxiety, while psychological (t = 5023; ß = 1756) and economic abuse (t = 5719; ß = 5238) had statistically significant effects on stress (P < 0.05). As a result of the study, it was seen that the prevalence of abuse and depression, anxiety, and stress was high in the elderly. There was also a strong relationship between types of elder abuse and depression, anxiety, and stress. It is recommended that health professionals working with older people to screen them for types of abuse and mental symptoms with the help of appropriate screening tools.

Using Elder Abuse Case Studies to Develop LGBTQ+ Cultural Competency

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) elders are vulnerable to both the “usual” types of elder abuse (physical, sexual, emotional, and financial abuse, along with neglect), and with abuse that is specific to the context and history of LGBTQ+ elders. Training for adult protective services, long-term care ombudsmen, and other professionals who work with abused elders therefore should include information and skill-building in responding to this population. Research into effective training about LGBTQ+ elders indicates that interactive training activities such as case studies are critical components. This paper presents six case studies of LGBTQ+ elder abuse, representing financial and physical abuse, intimate partner violence, sexual abuse, neglect, and abandonment. Victims are transgender, lesbian, and gay. Each case study is accompanied by a discussion of key elements in the case, and includes discussion questions and developer comments to help integrate the cases into a comprehensive curricula.

"Older people are weak": perceptions and meanings of ageing and abuse against older people.

This paper addresses the broader issue of elder abuse and seeks to analyse how victims and non-victims of abuse connect and explain the perception of ageing and the phenomenon of violence against older people. A qualitative study was conducted based on evidence gathered through 45 semi-structured interviews with people aged 60 or above who are part of the Portuguese EPIPorto population cohort. The interviews were analysed using grounded theory. The results show that respondents link the ageist narratives that exist in our societies to the prevalence and naturalisation of violence against older people, that the risk of abuse increases with the weakening of family support networks, and that abuse is both a manifestation of asymmetrical power relations between victims and perpetrators and a severe violation of human rights. The findings also highlight the need to broaden the concept of violence against older people to include offences in the public sphere and not just in the context of the family and institutions.

Screening for Elder Abuse in the Veterans Health Administration: Varied Approaches Across a National Health System.

Elder abuse (EA) is common and has devastating health consequences yet is rarely detected by healthcare professionals. While EA screening tools exist, little is known about if and how these tools are implemented in real-world clinical settings. The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has experience screening for, and resources to respond to, other forms of interpersonal violence and may provide valuable insights into approaches for EA screening. Describe EA screening practices across a national integrated healthcare system serving a large population of older adults at risk for EA. Survey of all 139 VHA medical centers from January to August 2021. Surveys were completed by the Social Work Chief, or delegate, at each site. The survey assessed the presence and characteristics of EA-specific screening practices as well as general abuse/neglect screening conducted with patients of all ages, including older adults. Follow-up emails were sent to sites that reported screening requesting additional details not included in the initial survey. Overall, 130 sites (94%) responded. Among respondents, 5 (4%) reported screening older adults for EA using a previously published tool, while 6 (5%) reported screening for EA with an unstudied or locally developed tool. Forty-eight percent reported screening patients of all ages for general abuse/neglect using unstudied questions/tools, and 44% reported no EA screening at their site. Characteristics of screening programs (e.g., frequency, clinical setting, provider type) varied widely between sites, as did respondents' understanding of the definition of screening. High variability in screening practices for abuse/neglect and lack of EA-specific screening in a system that has successfully deployed other standardized screening approaches present an important opportunity to standardize and improve EA detection practices. Lessons learned in VHA could help advance the evidence base for EA screening more broadly to increase overall detection rates for EA nationally.

The domestic elder abuse in China: Scale development and psychometric properties

An effective screening tool is essential to elder abuse research. Although several instruments have been developed in China to measure elder abuse, they present several limitations. The instrument development involved three components: (1) generating questionnaire items; (2) questionnaire testing and data collection in older adults; and (3) psychometric evaluation of the Domestic Elder Abuse Scale (DEAS). We collected questionnaire responses from 3725 community-dwelling Chinese older adults. The 26-item DEAS showed good reliability and validity across five dimensions: physical abuse, psychological abuse, financial exploitation, neglect, and abandonment. These five factors accounted for 78.432 % of the total variance, and model fitting results were acceptable. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the scale was 0.975, and the test-retest intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was 0.934 after 2 weeks. This study developed a five-dimension instrument to measure elder abuse, with good psychometric properties, which can play an essential role in community-based studies in China.

Lawyers’ encounter with parents subjected to elder abuse by their adult offspring with mental disorders

ABSTRACT One in six older adults in the world is subjected to abuse (WHO 2022). In Israel, a national survey indicated an 18.4% prevalence of elder abuse. Older parents of an offspring with mental disorder are at increased risk of abuse. Exploring lawyers’ experiences in elder abuse cases involving offspring with mental disorders. A qualitative study was conducted using in-depth interviews with 15 lawyers intervening via civil law in cases of elder abuse. Three themes were revealed: ‘A seething kettle’ – abusive offspring characteristics and family interactions; From a ‘pure lawyer’ to a ‘therapeutic lawyer’ – Transition from being a lawyer who examines intervention solely through a legal lens, to a lawyer who also considers the therapeutic aspects; How could things be different? Recommendations regarding training for lawyers; Expanding multidisciplinary teams including mental health professionals; Establishing therapeutic courts. Findings strengthened empirical evidence about the relationship between an abuser’s characteristics and their interaction with his or her parents as risk factors for abuse. Therefore, effective intervention should aim to assist both older adult victims and their abusive offspring, integrating legal and therapeutic approaches; Repositioning of lawyers as ‘therapeutic lawyers’ and establishing therapeutic courts may facilitate the necessary change.

Elder Abuse in Association with Depression and Suicidal Ideation among Community-Dwelling Elderly in Korea.

There has been limited research on the association between elder abuse and depression, as well as elder abuse and suicidal ideation concurrently. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate this association using the dataset from a nationally representative elderly sample in Korea. This study analyzed the dataset from the 2020 National Survey of Older Koreans. Elderly participants (aged over 65 years, n=9920) were included. Multivariate regression analysis was utilized to explore the risk factors associated with depression and suicidal ideation in the context of elder abuse. In this study, 5.1% of the elderly reported having elder abuse in the past year, while 12.8% and 1.9% reported having depression and suicidal ideation, respectively. In addition, among the elderly with depression, 8.4% had experienced elder abuse, while among those reporting suicidal ideation, 17.6% had suffered from elder abuse. Multiple logistic regression revealed that elder abuse is independently associated with both depression [odds ratio (OR) for elder abuse=1.642] and suicidal ideation (OR for elder abuse=3.237). Besides elder abuse, poor subjective health status and poor social support were linked to higher risk of depression and suicidal ideation. Our findings revealed that elder abuse represented a substantial risk factor associated with both depression and suicidal ideation. Implementing preventive interventions to address these risk factors could have significant implications for public mental health.

Comparative Study on Elder Abuse and Neglect Among Geriatric Population in the Rural and Urban Field Practice Areas of a Medical College.

Elder abuse is a multidimensional problem of public importance. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 16% of older people were victims of elder abuse. A study conducted by HelpAge India in 2018 showed that Mangaluru ranks the highest in elder abuse (47%). Given the scarce literature, this study sought to determine the prevalence of elder abuse and its associated sociodemographic factors. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among the senior population in the rural and urban field practice a medical college in Mangaluru for one and a half years. The sample size was 280. Most of the study population was in the age group of fewer than 75 years (75.4%), with 50.4% females, 60% Hindus, 56.4% married, 39.3% illiterate, and 88.9% of them retired. The prevalence of elder abuse was 44.6% (rural = 50.7% and urban = 38.6%). Binary logistic regression showed that elder abuse was statistically significant among the unemployed, extended family members, and staying with children. The study brings to light the sociodemographic factors that play a role in detecting elder abuse. It also shows the importance of awareness of elder mistreatment among older people. These elements must be considered for implementing and enforcing laws and legislation to help curb elder abuse.

Evaluation of elder abuse in elderly patients presenting to an emergency department

With the increase in the elderly population worldwide, elder abuse and neglect cases are not increasing gradually. Elder abuse is not only physical abuse but also sexual, psychological, and economic. This study aimed to evaluate the findings of elderly individuals admitted to an emergency department for abuse and neglect. This study was performed on patients aged 65 years and older who were admitted to the emergency department of a tertiary care hospital. Between January 1, 2019 and January 4, 2019, a presurvey and the Hwalek-Sengstock Elder Abuse Screening Test (H-S/EAST) were administered. Among the elderly included in this study, 48.8% (n=240) were female and 51.2% (n=252) were male. The total scores of the general test were found to be statistically significantly higher (p&lt;0.05) in the elderly who were living alone, widowed, illiterate, unemployed, did not have children, came to the emergency department with trauma findings, had a history of more than one previous trauma, or who felt that they had recently been subjected to violence or physically, psychologically, or economically abused. It should be kept in mind that elderly patients admitted to an emergency department may suffer from elder abuse and neglect. Providing the right communication and appropriate environment to detect elder abuse is important for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation.

Contextual effects on attributing minds to older adults

Elder abuse is a growing worldwide problem. The dehumanization of older adults likely contributes to elder abuse as it relates to a lower standard of care afforded to them as well as perpetuates negative attitudes and institutional policies affecting them. Here, we examined mind attributions of older adults receiving care given that mind denial relates to the perpetuation of harm against human agents. We show that living situation is a potent contextual cue affecting mind attributions toward older adults. Older adults receiving more external support and care in their overall living situations were attributed less mind, an effect due to their being attributed limited attributed agentic relative to experiential mental capacities (Experiment 1). Limited attributed agentic versus experiential capacities also emerged for older adults in care facilities to receive cognitive, but not physical, rehabilitation after acute medical emergencies (Experiments 2 and 3). This cognitive rehabilitation effect generalized to younger adults, although older adults were attributed less mind overall (Experiment 3). Showing consequences of limited inferred mental agency, attributed agentic capacities positively related to beliefs that rehabilitation would be successful (Experiment 3). All effects emerged when controlling for variability in aging-related prejudice, suggesting a broad emergence that could substantially affect older adults’ lives. These findings suggest that older adults in need of care are attributed limited agentic capacities that are necessary for people to believe in the efficacy of their care.

The Relationship between Elderly Abuse and Quality of Nursing Care in Outpatient Clinics

The Relationship between Elderly Abuse and Quality of Nursing Care in Outpatient Clinics