FACTORS AFFECTING DOMESTIC ABUSE IN ELDERLY INDIVIDUALS

Background: Social changes due to urbanism, acculturation, and fading of values have led to some challenges in family relationships, including domestic elder abuse. This study was conducted to determine elder abuse status in Yazd, Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 250 elderly people over 60 years in Yazd in 2014-2015. Clustered random sampling was used to recruit the participants from 10 clusters in Yazd (25 individuals from each cluster). The data were gathered by the 49-item, Iranian Domestic Elder Abuse Questionnaire which was filled out through private interviews with the participants. Results: Mean score of elder abuse was 11.84 (SD: 12.70) of total 100. Of the participants, 79.6% (95% CI: 74.5-84.6) experienced at least one type of abuse. Emotional neglect was the most reported abuse and physical abuse was the least reported. Abuse score was associated with age, education level, living status, and insurance status of elders. Further, those who reported history of gastrointestinal problems, dyslipidemia, respiratory diseases, sleep disorders, audiovisual problems, joints pain, hypertension, dental/oral problems, cardiovascular disease, urinary incontinence and disability, reported a statistically significant higher abuse score. Conclusion: Despite overall low rate of domestic elder abuse, its high prevalence indicates that some interventions are necessary to decrease domestic elder abuse. Emotional neglect of elders should be addressed more than other abuse types.

Journal of Public Health, 2019

Aim This study was conducted to determine the level of abuse and neglect of individuals over the age of 65 years and the factors influencing it. Subjects and methods A cross-sectional, population-based, descriptive study was conducted on 455 elderly persons in Turkey. At data collection, a socio-demographic form, which was developed by the researcher herself, an abuse evaluation form with six Likert-type questions, the Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and the Perceived Emotional Abuse Scale for Adults (PEASA) were used. Results Of the participants, 26.8% experienced physical abuse, 26.9% financial abuse, 12.6% sexual abuse and 56.5% neglect and psychological abuse at an intermediate level. The average score of the ADL index was 11.0 ± 3.3. This score shows that these elderly individuals were semi-independent. Conclusion The rate of abuse and neglect was found to be intermediate. There was a positive relationship between abuse of the elderly and their ADL index.

This article presents evidence from recent studies on the prevalence of different forms of elder abuse. After a review of definitions and measures of elder abuse, the findings of 20 original studies containing 26 samples from 17 countries published since 2010 are summarized. Overall prevalence rates showed a high variability across studies, ranging from 2.2% in a study from Ireland to 43.7% in a study from Egypt. Evidence on gender differences in the vulnerability for abuse and the predominant relationship constellations between abusers and victims did not yield a consistent picture across studies. Conceptual and methodological reasons for the variability in prevalence rates are discussed, and an outlook for future research is presented. In particular, consistent definitions and measures are needed to facilitate the comparative analysis of elder abuse in different studies and cultural contexts.

International Psychogeriatrics, 2013

Journal of Basic Research in Medical Sciences, 2016

Introduction: Elder abuse is among the major social health problems in today`s communities, and has significant effect on decreasing the health and security level in this group. The current study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and associated factors of abuse among the elderly in Kashan, Iran. Materials and methods: This cross sectional study was conducted on 500 people over 60 years old in Kashan, Iran in 2014. Subjects were randomly selected from 10 healthcare centers of Kashan. Data were collected using elder abuse questionnaire. Cronbach alpha coefficient of the questionnaire was determined as 0.975. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 13. Pearson correlation coefficient and logistic regression analysis were used for data analysis. The statistically significant level was P<0.05. Results: Results of the current study showed that 80% of subjects have experienced at least one type of abuse during the last year. The highest rate of abuse was in the form of financial abuse (45.6%), and the lowest was in ostracizing (16.6%). There was a statistical significant relationship between the elder abuse and variables such as sex, age, number of children, marital status, living arrangement, residential situation, home properties, monthly income, insurance situation, illness history, walking ability and using mobility aids. Logistic regression analysis also showed significant relationship between the elder abuse and unemployment, living in an apartment, and the age range 71-80 years. Conclusion: Considering the high prevalence of abuse among the elderly, clarification of this phenomenon is considered as one of the main priorities, which can be achieved only through multidisciplinary approach in the community, and needs cooperation and collaboration of all community members.

2009

RESUMO este artigo visa clarificar os conceitos de violência familiar e violência contra o idoso. Ambos os fenómenos são de especial interesse para a comunidade académica, bem como para os profissionais de saúde em geral, e para os cuidadores e gestores em saúde em particular. A perspectiva deste texto é uma perspectiva comparada, permitindo uma visão global sobre a violência familiar e a violência contra o idoso na europa do sul e nos estados unidos. o artigo propõe igualmente uma lista organizada de práticas para prevenir e melhor administrar as decisões em caso de violência contra o idoso. PALAVRAS-ChAVE Violência contra idoso, cuidador, trabalho social, saúde ABSTRACT this article intends to clarify the concepts of family violence and elder abuse. both phenomena are of interest for the academic community, as well as for the health professionals in general, and for the health caregivers and health managers in particular. the text is written in a comparative perspective, allowing for a global vision on family violence and elder violence in southern europe and in the united states. it also proposes a list of organized practices in order to prevent violence and to better manage decisions in case of elder violence.

Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences, 2014

The objective of the study was to mesaure the 12-months prevalence of elder abuse and neglect in private huousehold and to examine the relationship and community level risk factors for elder abuse and neglect.

The Turkish Journal of Geriatrics

This study aims to assess the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the 'Geriatric Mistreatment Scale' , which was developed to identify elder abuse. Materials and Method: Random sampling methods were used to survey 776 elders over the age of 60 residing in various cities in Turkey in their own homes or with other family members (their children or relatives). The Geriatric Mistreatment Scale is a 22-item assessment designed to assess five categories of elder abuse; namely, physical abuse, psychological or emotional abuse, neglect, financial or material abuse and sexual abuse. To adapt the scale into Turkish, language validity and confirmatory factor analysis were performed to assess its validity and internal consistency, and item analyses to assess its reliability. Results: Among the 776 participants, 460 (59.3%) were female and 316 (40.7%) were male. The mean age of the participants was 71.68 years. For 22 items of the scale, a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.80 was obtained, and item-total score correlations ranged from 0.27 to 0.58. Conclusion: The Turkish adaptation of the Geriatric Mistreatment Scale is a valid and reliable measurement tool that can be used in Turkish populations to determine rates of the five categories of elder abuse.

International Annals of Criminology

India is home to one out of every 10 senior citizens of the world. According to the 2011 Census, 8.6% of people are aged above 60 years. A number of cases of elder abuse have been reported in the mass media as these people are easy victims of violence and criminal activities. Society comes to know about only those problems which are reported. Innumerable cases of disrespect and neglect are not given any consideration. The situation becomes even worse when perpetrators are very near relatives and in some cases blood relatives also. To overcome the problem a law, the “Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act”, was passed in 2007. Based on primary data, the present paper will attempt to study the problems of the elderly with focus on gender, their abuse and victimization. The paper concludes that the majority of elders, especially those with little or no source of income, reside with their families and face abuse and victimization. Those who have a regular source of i...

Konuralp Tıp Dergisi, 2021

Objective: The prevalence of elderly abuse varies between 2.2% and 30.1% in European countries. There is a limited number of studies that have investigated elderly abuse in Turkey. The aim of this study is to detect the prevalence and risk factors of elder abuse, identify the factors that can affect elderly abuse, and assess the possible measures to prevent this problem. Methods: We stratified the districts enrolled in family health centers to ensure that participants were from diverse social, cultural, and economic backgrounds of Edirne and formed a representative sample of 211 people. In addition to sociodemographic characteristics, our survey consisted of the Hwalek-Sengstock Elder Abuse Screening Test, the Geriatric Depression Scaleshort form, the Standardised Mini-Mental State Examination, the Barthel Index for activities of daily living, and the Lawton-Brody instrumental activities of daily living scale. Results: The prevalence of elderly abuse was determined as 9.9%, and high abuse risk was 15.2%. We found that abuse risk was higher among older people who had no social security, lived alone, were abused physically or emotionally before, reported having bad family relations, and had fewer rooms at home which leads to a lack of privacy. Furthermore, we found significant relationships between abuse risk and the depression score. Conclusions: Elderly abuse is a risk for every person regardless of gender, education level, and economic status. As an invisible problem for societies, elderly abuse brings a great burden by leading to the loss of physical, mental, and psychological health. Preventive measures should be the primary goal. All results suggest that governments, non-governmental organizations, and health care providers should combat this problem by increasing patient literacy and ensuring lifestyle changes.