Psychological abuse behavior exhibited by caregivers in the care of the elderly and correlated factors in long-term care facilities in Taiwan.

Abstract

This study explored the state and the correlated factors of psychological abuse behavior among caregivers in long-term care facilities in Taiwan. A cross-sectional design utilizing a descriptive-correlational approach was conducted. A sociodemographic sheet, Caregiver Psychological Elder Abuse Behavior Scale (CPEAB), and Caregiver's Burden Scale (CBS) were employed to collect data. A total of 114 caregivers completed the study, of whom 16.1% returned an CPEAB score greater than 40. The potential range of CPEAB scores ranged from 20 to 80, with the highest score indicating the greatest tendency toward psychological abuse behavior. Among the total of 20 CPEAB indicators, "Accuse him/her verbally", "Ignore his/her request", and "Insult him/her" received the highest item mean scores (M = 2.18, 2.12, 2.02; SD = 0.83, 0.84, 0.91). Significant relationships between the CPEAB and subject age, professional status, educational level, geriatric care training, and CBS score were found (p < .05 - .001). These results indicate that caregivers who are younger in age, less educated and lacking in geriatric training had a greater burden and displayed a tendency toward more abusive behavior. Another important finding was that nurses displayed more abusive behavior than their care attendant counterparts. Results of this study provide important information that may be used in medical and social interventions and policies aimed at improving quality of life for the institutionalized elderly.