Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect最新文献

Growing research evidence has shown that grandparents who provide care to their grandchildren as kinship caregivers (termed grandparent kinship care) experience several challenges, including abuse by the children in their care. We argue that grandmother kinship caregivers in Ghana may be subjected to severe and continuous abuse due to the legitimacy of myths about witchcraft accusations against older people. Following narrative interviews with 31 grandmother kinship caregivers in Ghana, who have experienced abuse and harm from children in their care, we found that the grandmothers used physical punishment and discipline, neglect, and other violence strategies to control and mitigate abusive behaviors of the children in their care. Grandmothers need protection from abuse; thus, we recommend the development of parenting programs to enable grandparent kinship caregivers to develop skills to protect themselves and prevent future harm by children in their care.

Although some countries have enacted laws against coercive control, there are mixed definitions of the associated patterns of behaviors, particularly when they are perpetrated against older people. Such definitional inconsistency is problematic as it can perpetuate the invisibility of coercive control, increase the risk of harm and isolation of victims, minimize the possibility of criminal charges being laid, and challenge researchers investigating the topic. This commentary provides an evidence-based definition of coercive control to support greater consistency in understanding and approaches to managing the behaviors and, in the process, improve healthcare, social policy, and research practices that better protect vulnerable older people.

This study examines the experiences of Mongolian family physicians in detecting elder abuse during medical encounters with older patients. Using thematic analysis, the study explores how physicians become aware of and respond to incidents of elder abuse. A total of 24 family physicians participated in semi-structured interviews. Four core themes, (1) encounters with elder abuse cases, (2) mechanisms of detection, (3) means of assistance, and (4) barriers to taking action, emerged from the analysis. The findings suggest that frequent interactions with older patients significantly influence physicians' overall identification of potential victims of elder abuse during their medical practice in primary care settings. The strategies used to assist potential victims during medical encounters vary widely. Barriers to reporting elder abuse cases are related to institutions, physicians, and patients. Significant measures for prevention of elder abuse in primary health care settings in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, are recommended.

Elder abuse in India is understudied, particularly in rural areas. Psychological and rights-based forms of harm are less visible and rarely screened among elderly. This study validated the 12-item Vulnerability to Abuse Screening Scale (VASS-12) among 413 older adults (aged 60+) in rural South India. The scale demonstrated strong internal consistency (α = 0.81) and a robust three-factor structure capturing dependency and control, violation of rights, and psychological vulnerability. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) supported good model fit (SRMR = 0.053), and Item Response Theory (IRT) findings indicated moderate to very high discrimination for most items. Known-groups validity was confirmed by higher scores among older adults living alone and those aged 75 or above. Convergent validity was supported through associations with loneliness, depression, anxiety, and reduced quality of life. The VASS-12 offers a reliable, culturally appropriate, and context-sensitive tool for identifying abuse-related vulnerability in low-resource settings, with strong potential for use in elder health outreach and support services.

Abuse of older adults with dementia is an increasingly prevalent public health concern in the United States. The current study examined whether care recipient behavioral symptoms (e.g. aggressive or agitated behaviors) predicted abusive behaviors by care partners. Participants comprised 379 care partners- individuals who identified as being a primary caregiver for a person with dementia. Results indicate that most participants reported engaging in at least one abusive behavior toward their care recipient. Behavioral symptoms in care recipients were a significant predictor of abusive behavior perpetrated by the care partner, even after controlling for a large number of covariates. Care partner depressive symptoms significantly mediated the relationship between care recipient behavioral symptoms and care partner abusive behavior. Our results suggest that physician screening for depression in care partners and referral to appropriate resources may be one avenue for decreasing the risk of abuse toward care recipients.

Gender-based violence against older women in rural areas often remains hidden, sustained by cultural norms, intergenerational silence, and limited recognition of harmful behaviors in later life. This study draws on interviews with 14 women aged 60 and over in rural municipalities of the Sierra de Segura (Jaén, Andalusia, Spain), using an ethnographic method and an emic approach through a phenomenological design. Findings reveal the normalization and invisibilisation of violence through traditional gender roles, social stigma, and limited resources, which hinder recognition and reporting. Many participants did not identify certain behaviors as violence. Three main themes emerged: (1) gendered perceptions and relationship dynamics in rural life; (2) cultural norms and gender hierarchies: religion, tradition and gender differences; and (3) normalization and invisibility of gender-based violence in rural spaces. The study calls for discreet, context-sensitive interventions grounded in participants' perspectives.

This study explored the relationship between poor sleep quality, community social support and self-harm ideation among elder abuse survivors. We recruited 1,286 participants from eight Grade-A hospitals in China. Objective sleep quality was measured with the SenseWear Pro3 Armband, subjective sleep quality with the 5-item Consensus Sleep Diary, and overall sleep quality (OSQ) with the 19-item Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Self-harm ideation was assessed using a single item from the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and community social support with a five-item scale to categorize participants into low or high support groups. Results indicated that longer sleep duration and greater subjective sleep efficiency were associated with a decreased risk of self-harm ideation. However, poor OSQ was associated with an increased risk of self-harm ideation, and this effect was mitigated by higher community social support. Findings suggest that community social support buffered the negative effect of poor overall sleep quality on self-harm ideation.

This study explores the iterative development of the Knowledge and Interpersonal Skills to Develop Enhanced Relationships (KINDER) intervention, which was developed to prevent psychological abuse of older people (AOP) by family caregivers of individuals with dementia. Initially lacking a theoretical framework, KINDER was refined through two studies. In the first study, we conducted qualitative interviews with N = 7 caregivers who participated in an initial version of KINDER. Resourcefulness and Quality of Life Theory© (RQoLT) was applied to transcripts using thematic analysis. Based on the findings, KINDER was refined to more intentionally integrate this theory, including the addition of small group discussions. A second pilot study tested the revised intervention. Qualitative interviews were repeated post-intervention to affirm the theory's applicability (N = 11), bolstered by survey data from N = 71 demonstrating perceived enhancement of resourcefulness skills. Results suggest that RQoLT is a viable framework for developing skills to prevent AOP and support high-quality caregiving.

Financial exploitation of older adults is rising significantly, necessitating effective interventions. This qualitative study examined perceptions and experiences of technology use among 40 adults over age 60 through rural and urban focus groups. Three primary themes emerged: technology knowledge gaps, trust and privacy concerns dependent on source credibility, and reactive rather than proactive approaches to combating financial exploitation. Urban participants demonstrated greater technology comfort and more sophisticated protective strategies than their rural counterparts. Findings suggest that effective interventions should provide in-person, step-by-step guidance from trusted institutions, simplify technical terminology, and promote proactive security measures.

Elder abuse (EA) is public health problem worldwide. The SABE Study is a survey for non-institutionalized elder individuals in São Paulo, Brazil. To determine the prevalence and associated factors of EA, we analyzed 1,224 individuals, aged ≥60 years. The prevalence of EA was 8.9% in males,14.1% in females, and 11.8% overall. The odds of EA were not significantly different between sexes on multivariate regression. However, EA was significantly associated with urinary incontinence. Elder people with UI were 63% more likely to be abused than those who were continent. Considering the high EA prevalence estimates and their dangerous effects on person's life, it is essential to develop programs to increase awareness among older people and families.