Financial Abuse Research Articles

Knowledge and attitudes regarding elder abuse in the community, Eastern Province Saudi Arabia

BackgroundThe population of old people is increasing world-wide. Along with the increase in their population, an increase in the cases of elder abuse is expected. This study identifies the knowledge of elder abuse and attitudes towards it among the adult attendees of Al Qatif primary health care centers (PHCCs) in Saudi Arabia.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, 430 participants at PHCCs, in Al Qatif, in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia completed a questionnaire concerning their knowledge of elder abuse and their attitudes toward the subjects of such abuse.ResultsA total of 430 subjects participated in the study. The mean age of the respondents was 35.6 years. Participants included both caregivers (n = 93) and non-caregivers (n = 337). The overwhelming majority of respondents 97% stated that it is their individual responsibility to report elder abuse and neglect if they witness any. Similarly, (91.8%) of the participants agreed that elder abuse and neglect is a criminal act and they have the responsibility to prevent such abuse and neglect. Also, (90.7%) were aware of financial abuse, and (93.5%) believed that using swear words can be considered abuse, as it is not part of their culture. The majority of them (90.5%) agreed that occasional manhandling of the older people is violence/abuse.ConclusionMost of the participants regarded abuse and neglect of the older people as a serious problem and considered it their responsibility to intervene when they encountered it. Further efforts are required to explore the factors associated with elder abuse to utilize that knowledge in the development of effective interventions to prevent such abuse.

Financial debt amongst older women in the United Kingdom – shame, abuse and resilience

AbstractLong-term poverty, precarious employment, low pay, the increased pension age and real-term reductions in welfare benefits, including bereavement allowances, have brought into focus the financial vulnerability of many older women aged 55 years and older in the United Kingdom. In this article, survey data were analysed alongside evidence from observations of debt support meetings and interviews with older women who were receiving debt advice from a support charity. The findings suggest that older women were more likely to have financial problems than older men, particularly those women who were living on low incomes and who were separated or divorced. Following the breakdown of a relationship, many older women were at increased risk of more debt and bankruptcy, particularly those aged between 55 and 64 years and those in routine and semi-routine occupations. Many women had kept their financial problems hidden due to fear and shame whilst bringing up their children and some had been subject to coercive control and economic abuse by their former husbands or partners. It is important that any pension reforms, changes to minimum wage rates, and new divorce and domestic abuse legislation and welfare policies take account of the circumstances of separated, divorced and widowed older women. More financial support and advice needs to be provided to older women facing financial difficulties.

Violence Against Women in Sanaa Shalan’s Falling in the Sun

Violence against women is a heinous act committed against a woman, a wife, a mother, a sister, or even a daughter deliberately or not deliberately causing her psychological, emotional, and physical harm. The rise of this unhealthy phenomenon mainly in less-developed countries such as Jordan necessitates more academic attention not only because of its detrimental effect on the Jordanian women’s lives, but also because it is intentionally ignored and dismissed as taboo. With that, there has been a growing interest among Jordanian writers and sociologists in exploring the extent of this social ill through creative literary genres such as novels. This paper for one primarily examines the manifestations of violence against women in the Jordanian context through a textual analysis of Falling in the Sun by Sanaa Shalan, an author hailing from the contemporary Jordanian generation. Originally written in Arabic, this well-known novel gives prominence to the severe reality of the distress habitually suffered by many Jordanian women, notably the various forms of violence that they have to tolerate living in a multicultural male-controlled nation. With a feminist reading of Falling in the Sun (2014), we shall examine Shalan’s representations of violence against women in the novel as a dire social illness resulting from mistaken social beliefs, absence of laws, and misunderstanding of religion and gender inequality in the Jordanian society. Additionally, the current paper’s outline is constructed on three main forms of violence against women, i.e. physical, psychological and economic abuse as depicted in Falling in the Sun through the novel’s female characters, primarily the main protagonists.

Reframing financial abuse of parishioners: an analysis of a Church of England disciplinary tribunal hearing regarding Rev. Karl Wray

PurposeTraditional understandings of financial abuse are limited to particular situations and people who have close access to vulnerable adults. This paper aims to add to a debate that intends to push the boundaries of the understanding of financial abuse further. In particular, it seeks to add to the understanding of what financial abuse might look like and who the perpetrators of such abuse can be. In so doing, it seeks to offer greater protection to the vulnerable.Design/methodology/approachFocusing on exploring the minutes of Church of England disciplinary tribunals, held to provide accountability for clergy, this paper considers how the church seeks to represent and construct the victims of financial abuse.FindingsThe paper identifies that the victims of financial abuse are whitewashed out of the tribunal minutes and discovers that the disciplinary tribunal is solely concerned with the financial loss afforded by the church. This discovery offers a new context in which it is possible to explore the competing interest in, what has been regarded as, the “legitimate assets” of older parishioners. It provides an example of how organisations and individuals compete for them.Originality/valueThis paper adds to the debate about the everyday nature of financial abuse and when and where it might take place. It provides an opportunity to reconsider potential offenders and the means by which abuse might be reduced. In exploring how the financial abuse of potentially vulnerable people can be reframed so that it is hidden by process and procedure, this paper offers an insight into the means by which it is possible to promote transparency and greater accountability.

Measurement of Economic Abuse Among Women Not Seeking Social or Support Services and Dwelling in the Community.

Scholars have defined economic abuse (EA) as tactics used by abusive partners to undermine the self-sufficiency and economic self-efficacy of survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV). However, no measures of EA have been tested in non-IPV-service seeking samples. The current study assesses the psychometric properties of the Scale of Economic Abuse (SEA)-12 (Postmus, Plummer, & Stylianou, 2016) in a nonservice seeking sample of adult females attending community college. A quantitative web-based survey was administered to a simple random sample of female community college students (n = 435). Analyses included confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA). CFA indicated a poor fit for the three-factor model of the SEA-12 in this sample. The results of the EFA found a single factor model retaining four items (the Scale of Economic Abuse-Short, or SEAS). Women are experiencing EA outside of IPV service-seeking populations, and that tactics of economic control seem to be central to EA in this sample.

The Problems of Legal Gap to the Protection of Women Against Domestic Violence in Ethiopia

Domestic violence is the most common form of violence experienced by women around the world which is directed by their intimate partner and other family members, and manifested through; physical, sexual, psychological and economic abuse. Domestic violence against women exists in countries with varying social, political, economic, and cultural structures, and its pervasiveness signifies that the problem does not originate with the pathology of an individual person. In Ethiopia, domestic violence is very prevalent throughout the country. However, building strong legal frame work is a cornerstone for the protection of women’s rights against any sexual based discrimination and violence. Accordingly, targeting at providing better protection to the rights of women, Ethiopia has attempted to undertaken significant ‘gender-sensitive’ legislative reforms after the down fall of military junta. Foremost among these laws; the 1995 FDRE constitution, the 2003 Revised Family Law [1] and the 2005 Revised Criminal Code [2] are indicative. However, regarding the scope of coverage of laws dealing with VAW, the Ethiopian legal framework cascades dump of the internationally accepted standards. Different forms of violence against women have not be criminalized in the way of understanding the complexity nature of the violence though international standards require States to ensure that forms of violence against women are included in criminal law as criminal acts. DOI: 10.7176/JCSD/56-01 Publication date: February 29 th 2020 [1] The Revised Family Code of Ethiopia, Proclamation No. 213/2000 [2] Criminal Code of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia, proclamation no. 414/2004

Clinical recognition of elder maltreatment and intention to report among primary care doctors

ABSTRACTThis study aimed to determine the primary care doctors’ ability to recognize elder maltreatment and their intentions to report on such conditions. About 358 primary care doctors participated in this study. Outcomes were assessed using a validated five context-relevant clinical vignettes. Primary care doctor’s recognition of sexual abuse was highest (91.0%); while the lowest (70.2%) in case signifying physical abuse. Despite being able to ascertain elder maltreatment, the intention to report the event is generally low even for cases exemplifying physical abuse, emotional abuse and neglect. However, intentions to report cases of sexual and financial abuse are 86.9% and 73.5% respectively. Findings highlighted the uncertainties of primary care doctors in distinguishing the clinical findings of non-accidental injuries and injuries due to acts of maltreatment. This provides support for educational intervention and guidelines or policies to improve the knowledge and skills of primary care doctors to intervene in elder maltreatment.

Profile of violence against older individuals registered at the Dial 100 in the period 2011-2015 in Brazil

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the profile of the reports of violence and abuse against older people registered in the Dial 100 helpline from 2011 to 2015. METHODS: This was a descriptive, retrospective study, based on a sample of 130 164 denunciation reports of the Dial 100. The data collection considered the following variables: city, sex, age, race, place of abuse, type of abuse, and the victim’s relationship with the suspect. RESULTS: The greatest number of reports was registered in the Southeast (42.27%), and the lowest in the North (6.79%). When we analyze the complaints per 100 000 inhabitants, we found as leading states in the ranking of complaints of violence against older people: Amazonas, Federal District, and Rio Grande do Norte. The main profile of possible victims was age from 76 to 80 years, predominantly women, and white. The main abusers were the victim’s children and grandchildren. The most frequent type of abuse was negligence (36.72%), followed by psychological abuse (28.46%), and financial abuse (20.45%). CONCLUSION: The Dial 100 helpline is one of the most effective tools for breaking the silence and invisibility of abuse and violence against older adults, offering a panorama of abuse denunciation in our country.

Prevalence and Patterns of Intimate Partner Violence in a Nationally Representative Sample in Lithuania

This representative study examines the prevalence of psychological, economic, physical, or sexual intimate partner violence (IPV), the main patterns of IPV exposure, and the interconnections between IPV and socio-demographic characteristics. The participants of the current cross-sectional study were 1173 women from a nationally representative survey. The data were collected using in-person interviews. The reported lifetime prevalence of any IPV (physical, sexual, psychological, and economic abuse) in Lithuania is 51.2%. For women who experienced abuse, the lifetime prevalence of psychological, economic, physical, and sexual IPV is 50.1%, 29.9%, 21.5%, and 16.9%, respectively. Of those victims, 57.1% had experienced IPV in the past year. Younger women (≤ 60 years), being separated or divorced, being economically disadvantaged, living in rural areas, and those who had experienced violence in their childhood are more likely to have experienced IPV during the past 12 months. Five different patterns of exposure to violence were identified: nearly absent IPV, psychological-only IPV, psychological/physical IPV, high sexual IPV, and high overall IPV. Comparison of the women belonging to different clusters differed from each other on the type of partner relationship, household income, area of residency, and childhood violence exposure. Findings of this study make a unique contribution to the existing literature by identifying multiple risk factors associated with various types and patterns of IPV that to date, had not yet been comprehensively analyzed in the IPV literature. Implications for future research and policy are discussed.

Parents' experiences of abuse by their adult children with drug problems.

Aims:To examine parents’ experiences of abuse directed at them by their adult children with drug problems.Material and Method:The material consists of 32 qualitative interviews on child-to-parent abuse with 24 mothers and eight fathers. The interviewees had experienced verbal abuse (insults), emotional abuse (threats), financial abuse (damage to property and possessions) and physical abuse (physical violence).Findings:In the parents’ narratives, the parent-child interaction is dominated by the child’s destructive drug use, which the parents are trying to stop. This gives rise to conflicts and ambivalence. The parents’ accounts seem to function as explaining and justifying their children’s disruptive behavior in view of the drug use. The fact that an external factor - drugs - is blamed seems to make it easier to repair the parent-child bonds. The parents differentiate between the child who is sober and the child who is under the influence of drugs, that is, between the genuine child and the fake, unreal child. The sober child is a person that the parent likes and makes an effort for. The child who is on drugs is erratic, at times aggressive and self-destructive.Conclusions:The interviewed parents’ well-being is perceived as directly related to how their children’s lives turn out. The single most important factor in improving the parents’ situation is to find a way for their adult child to live their lives without drug problems.

Silencing and Oblivion of Psychological Trauma, Its Unconscious Aspects, and Their Impact on the Inflation of Vajrayāna. An Analysis of Cross-Group Dynamics and Recent Developments in Buddhist Groups Based on Qualitative Data

The commercialization of Buddhist philosophy has led to decontextualization and indoctrinating issues across groups, as well as abuse and trauma in that context. Methodologically, from an interdisciplinary approach, based on the current situation in international Buddhist groups and citations of victims from the ongoing research, the psychological mechanisms of rationalizing and silencing trauma were analyzed. The results show how supposedly Buddhist terminology and concepts are used to rationalize and justify economic, psychological and physical abuse. This is discussed against the background of psychological mechanisms of silencing trauma and the impact of ignoring the unconscious in that particular context. Inadequate consideration regarding the teacher–student relationship, combined with an unreflective use of Tibetan honorary titles and distorted conceptualizations of methods, such as the constant merging prescribed in so-called 'guru yoga', resulted in giving up self-responsibility and enhanced dependency. These new concepts, commercialized as 'karma purification' and 'pure view', have served to rationalize and conceal abuse, as well as to isolate the victims. Therefore, we are facing societal challenges, in terms of providing health and economic care to the victims and implementing preventive measures. This use of language also impacts on scientific discourse and Vajrayāna itself, and will affect many future generations.

TECHNOLOGICAL AND FINANCIAL PREDICTORS OF FEAR OF FINANCIAL ABUSE AMONG OLDER ADULTS

Much research has focused on elder abuse. Less research focuses on fear of abuse. This analysis examines the associations between feelings of technological competence and variables assessing financial confidence with fear of financial victimization. Data were collected among community dwelling older adults in Nevada (n=467). Questions were asked regarding technological competence, confidence in navigating the financial system, asset protection, trust in financial institutions, and previous financial abuse victimization. The outcome was assessed by asking how afraid the respondent was of becoming a victim of financial abuse. Multivariate logistic regression models were run controlling for confounding. Controlling for all covariates, those who reported feeling unconfident in their technological competence had 2.5 times the odds of being afraid of financial abuse compared with those who felt confident (p<0.02). Those who reported feeling like their assets were at risk had 4.12 times the odds of being afraid of financial abuse (p<0.0001). Older adults who reported feeling vulnerable to financial victimization had 9.4 times the odds of being afraid of financial abuse compared with those who felt invulnerable (p<0.0001). Those who were previously victims of financial abuse had 4.33 times odds of being afraid of financial abuse compared with those who had no history of financial abuse (p<0.0001). Feeling confident in the financial system, asset protection, fear of credit card use, and trust in financial institutions were not associated with fear of financial abuse. These data provide a better understanding of fear of financial abuse, which will allow for better prevention of this issue.

TELLING THE STORY OF ADULT PROTECTIVE SERVICES: CALIFORNIA’S IDENTIFICATION, SERVICES, AND OUTCOMES MATRIX

Adult Protective Services (APS) is responsible for investigating reports of abuse, exploitation, and neglect among vulnerable adults. California’s APS program investigates approximately 15% of all abuse, neglect, and exploitation reports in the country. Once abuse or neglect is substantiated, caseworkers design and implement a service plan for clients to reduce future risk; however, APS intervention effectiveness have not been extensively investigated. In partnership with San Francisco and Napa APS, risk and harm of abuse were measured by type using standardized items from the Identification, Services, and Outcomes Matrix, which is derived from the validated Elder Abuse Decision Support Short Form during case investigation (before APS interventions) and at case closure (after APS interventions). Data from 1,472 older adults’ (on average 78 years old; 57% females) served by APS during the six-month pilot demonstration showed the reduction of risk/harm in self-neglect (p<.001), neglect (p<.001), emotional abuse (p<.001), physical abuse (p=.002), and financial abuse (p<.001) after APS interventions. Effective interventions differ by type of abuse such that caregiver support (b=-.98, p<.10), emergency assistance (b=-1.14, p<.05), and client engagement (b=-1.85, p<.05) decreased self-neglect risk/harm; client engagement (b=-2.24, p<.05) decreased neglect by others risk/harm; case management services (b=-1.17, p<.05) decreased physical abuse risk/harm; and financial planning services (b=-3.99, p<.05) decreased financial abuse risk/harm. No services were identified as effective for emotional abuse. Since effective services differed by type of abuse, it is important to consider the etiology of abuse before implementing the services needed by older adults to effectively decrease harm/risk.

SAFEGUARDING OLDER PEOPLE FROM FINANCIAL ABUSE: EXPERIENCES OF IRISH BANKS

Financial abuse is a significant issue for older populations and was identified as that most common form of maltreatment in a 2010 Irish prevalence study (Naughton et al. 2010). This study examined how abuse was experienced and responded to by staff in five Irish banks. A mixed method approach was used: online survey (n=898) amd semi structured interviews (n=25) Findings from the survey data demonstrate that more than half of the respondents (66.5%) had previously suspected a customer to be experiencing some form of financial abuse. There was a high index of suspicion to the five scenarios presented to the staff. Findings from the interviews demonstrate the complexity and wide variations of case experiences of bank managers and the National Safeguarding Committee. These include being financially abused in the context of undue influence, scams, fraud and some cases described the naivety or potential naivety of some customers who may have capacity challenges, engage with strangers through social engineering scams, share PINs or open bank accounts without fully understanding the consequences. All staff had some experience of a suspicion of financial abuse in older people and employed various strategies to respond to their suspicions. We focused our recommendations in two areas: Bank level responses-inter-sectorial collaboration, education and training, a vulnerable adult champion, having a choice of banking methods of engagement, direct client communication and enhancements within the Central bank of Ireland. Macro level responses were increasing public awareness, raising the profile of financial abuse as a crime and enhancing safeguarding legislation

NATIONAL ELDER MISTREATMENT STUDY WAVE II: MENTAL HEALTH CORRELATES OF FINANCIAL MISTREATMENT

Objective: Whereas prevalence of elder financial mistreatment has received increased attention over the past decade, health and mental health correlates are rarely studied. Thus, the potential relevance of financial abuse to mental health and perceived health is relatively unknown, and the objective of this article is to illustrate this relationship. Method: The second wave of the National Elder Mistreatment Study used random digit dialing telephone survey methodology to assess both recent financial mistreatment and its potential mental health correlates (i.e., diagnoses of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder [PTSD], generalized anxiety disorder [GAD], and self-ratings of physical health) in 774 older adults. Results: The study indicated that past-year Wave II financial mistreatment was associated with significantly increased likelihood of depression, PTSD, GAD, and poor self-rated health; and financial mistreatment perpetrated by family members was associated with particularly increased risk of depression. Discussion: Assessment of mental health is relevant and important in cases of financial abuse.

BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN COGNITIVE HEALTH AND FINANCIAL CAPACITY IN OLDER ADULTS: A SCOPING REVIEW

Significant declines in everyday functioning are often indicators of cognitive impairment. Although researchers agree that a diminished ability to carry out a variety of instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) tasks is a harbinger of cognitive impairment (CI), studies have repeatedly found that a compromised ability to successfully complete financial management tasks may be one of the initial IADLs affected by prodromal CI. Due to the combination of compromised financial functioning and the increased prevalence of CI, older adults as group are, therefore, put at a greater risk for financial abuse and exploitation. The aims of this scoping review were two-fold: 1) to synthesize current literature on CI as it relates to financial decision-making (FDM) and 2) to analyze the measures and instruments used to assess FDM in older adults. In a review of four databases, 39 studies were identified that met inclusion criteria. These studies used 22 different instruments to measure and assess financial functioning. Across the 39 studies, consistent themes emerged relevant to factors that impacted cognitive impairment and financial functioning. These themes included participants’ education levels, premorbid financial literacy, and age. White participants were overrepresented in research samples from these studies. Future research should investigate how FDM and early signs of CI may interact in people of color. Additionally, research should be focused on how to make instrumentation more accessible and feasible for the general public to administer without extensive training. This would enable the lay population to more easily identify early signs of cognitive impairment.

DEATH ANXIETY AND FINANCIAL DECISION-MAKING IN AGING: A STUDY FROM THE HUMAN CONNECTOME PROJECT AGING (HCP-A)

While research addressing late-life death anxiety (the fear of death or the dying process) has focused on end-of-life care decision-making, few have studied the effect of late-life death anxiety on financial decision-making. This is particularly relevant to financial decision-making as older adults are more vulnerable to fraud and deception. The aim of this study was to determine how age and death anxiety affect financial decision-making in a sample of older adults of 60-93 years of age (N = 102), who participated in the HCP-A project at UCLA. To study this relationship, we used a delayed reward discounting task to model financial decision-making, where higher rates of discounting indicate a greater preference for immediate, smaller monetary rewards and lower rates of discounting indicate more future-oriented planning. To account for age-related cognitive decline, cognitive functioning was assessed using the NIH Toolbox. We hypothesized that the presence of death anxiety will increase discounting of future rewards in older adults. Results from a univariate ANOVA showed an interaction between age, death anxiety, and delayed reward discounting. Specifically, older adults with self-reported death anxiety showed greater preference for immediate, smaller monetary rewards. By controlling for cognition, these findings suggest that death anxiety moderates decision-making in late-life adults and may add to our understanding of why older adults are more susceptible to financial abuse. These results suggest a need to consider death anxiety as a moderating variable when developing and implementing policies and services that are geared towards older adults.

ELDER ABUSE AMID THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC: APS CASES IN RURAL AMERICA

Older adults are hidden victims of the opioid crises, suffering abuse at the hands of those who seek resources to support their addiction. Using APS data from 2015-2017 provided by the Kentucky Department for Community-Based Services, we used a logistic regression model with robust standard errors to examine whether substantiated cases of elder abuse were associated with opioid misuse by perpetrators. Overall, 9% of the 462 substantiated cases over the three-year period involved perpetrators were substance users. The percentage of these cases rose from 5% in 2015 to 13% in 2016 before dropping to 7% of elder abuse cases in 2017. Opioid use was most prevalent among perpetrators of financial abuse of older adults with cognitive and/or physical care needs. The current study offers a first look at empirical linkages between opioid misuse and elder abuse and revealed consistencies across cases that call for further investigation.

Limitations of Australia’s Legal Hardship Protections for Women with Debt Problems Caused by Economic Abuse

Research on economic abuse has identified multiple ways in which perpetrators use debt to exercise power and control over women in violent relationships. However, there have been few attempts to evaluate consumer credit law’s role in responding to perpetrators coercing or deceiving women into taking on debt in their own names or in joint names. At present, one option for women managing such debt is to negotiate payment arrangements with creditors under the legal protections for Australians in financial hardship. In this article, we draw upon focus groups with consumer advocates to examine the extent to which these protections and their implementation by creditors facilitate – or undermine – women’s financial recovery. We argue that these protections have limited capacity to assist victims of economic abuse, in the absence of provisions for severing liability for joint debt incurred in the context of gendered dynamics of power and control.

Financial Abuse and its Legal Implications

Financial Abuse and its Legal Implications