Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect最新文献

It is recognized worldwide that evidence on what effectively prevents abuse of at-risk adults (including older people) is lacking. The purpose of this paper is to make an explicit, contemporary proposal as to why front-line workers and policy-makers interested in preventing the abuse of at-risk adults should adopt an opportunity-focused, problem-oriented policing framework from criminology. This paper will first position the proposal within the current context of responses to the abuse of at-risk adults. Following this, the paper will outline how the problem-oriented policing framework can develop targeted, collaborative, sustainable, and measurable prevention strategies intended to remove the opportunity for specific examples of abuse of at-risk adults.

This study adopted an experimental design to evaluate the effectiveness of an anti-scam education program for older adults. Participants in the experimental group (n = 55) first participated in an anti-scam board game and then joined another board game featuring local tea restaurants two weeks later, whereas such order was reversed for the control group (n = 54). Compared with the control group, participants in the experimental group reported significant increases in their self-efficacy in fraud prevention and awareness of scam situations, and a significant decrease in perceived susceptibility to scams immediately and two weeks after the intervention, demonstrating the immediate and the short-term effects of the anti-scam education program in reducing fraud victimization risk of older adults.

This study investigates the influence of psychological elder abuse on life satisfaction levels in Thailand. This study also analyses the stress-buffering effect of social participation on the life satisfaction levels of Thai mentally abused elderly. Elder abuse has been proven to dramatically reduce Thai elders' levels of life satisfaction as their function in society shrinks owing to ageism. As a result, individuals are more likely to lose their independence and status and be forced to rely on others, increasing the danger of abuse. Elder abuse has a more significant negative impact on life satisfaction levels among Thai older women. Nonetheless, the mentally abused elderly who participate in social activities are happier than those who do not. Thai elders who live with their daughters are more satisfied in life than those who do not, but living with adult offspring does not assist psychologically abused elders in escaping their psychological suffering.

Technology-facilitated abuse (TFA) is of growing concern and is a form of elder abuse. There is limited TFA research in general population samples in the U.S. among older adults. Researchers conducted a survey of behavior-based forms of TFA experiences in a nationally representative sample of n = 1,011 U.S. adults ages 50 and older. Within this sample, 63.8% of respondents reported some experience of TFA during their lifetime. Latent class analyses were applied to understand the pattern of older adults' exposure to ten different forms of TFA resulting in three classes distinguished by the number of different TFA types experienced: low TFA (55%), low-mid TFA (40%) and high TFA (5%). Socio-economic characteristics associated with these TFA profiles, as well as perpetrator relationship, post-TFA behaviors, and resulting harms associated with the TFA experiences, were examined to inform research, prevention, and intervention activities. Attention across different sectors to TFA among older adults is needed.

Using a mix-method design, we examined participants' willingness to respond to mass marketing scams (MMS). In Experiment 1, we examined the effect of age (young versus older) and letter style ("hot" versus "cold") on the intention to respond. The intention of responding was negatively associated with risk (p < .001) and having at least a high school education was positively associated with perception of benefits (b = .684, p < .001). In Experiment 2, we examined reward sensitivity on the intention to respond by manipulating reward amounts (low versus high) and the presence of an activation fee. The presence of an activation fee decreased intent to contact, but percentages remained high (25.75%). Analyses of qualitative data indicated that risk and benefit were both predicted by perceived self-efficacy. The results indicate that consumers' beliefs about their ability to control the outcomes of future interactions affected how they behaved when provided with MMS materials.

This study sought to identify subpopulations of caregivers of older persons based on their profiles of individual characteristics and caregiving contexts and aimed at examining the associations between caregiver profiles and elder mistreatment. A convenient sample of 600 adult caregivers of community-dwelling older people in Hong Kong participated. Results of latent profile analysis support a typology of 3 distinctive caregiver profiles: (a) non-vulnerable caregivers; (b) isolated, vulnerable caregivers; and (c) traumatized, vulnerable caregivers. Isolated and traumatized caregivers reported greater risk factors related to elder mistreatment: They had higher levels of caregiver stress and burden, lower levels of social support and resilience, greater neurotic personality orientation and problematic gambling behavior, and more severe childhood traumatic experiences. The two groups also display significantly higher level of abusive behaviors than non-vulnerable caregivers.

The Preventing Elder Abuse Tasmania (PEAT) research group was asked by the State Coroner to review and report on findings from the inquest into the death of a 77-year-old woman (MM) which forms the basis of this analysis. MM died of hypothermia while sleeping in a converted shipping container at her daughter and son-in-law's southern Tasmanian property. Five years later this couple were convicted of MM's manslaughter. At the subsequent inquest in 2017-2018 the public heard that MM was in the advanced stages of dementia, as well as frail and underweight at the time she died. Whereas it was significant physical neglect by her family that ultimately caused her death, the seven years of abuse to which she was subjected started with fraud, supported by a lack of legislative protections.

Elder abuse is globally considered a hidden problem with great variations in its conceptualization across cultures, non-uniformity in understanding, and manifestations of abuse and neglect. Currently, there are no validated or culturally adapted screening measures for elder abuse in South Africa. The aim of this study was to test the cultural appropriateness of the Elder Abuse Screening Tool (EAST) and the Caregiver Abuse Screen (CASE) in two regions and four languages in South Africa. Using a cognitive interviewing methodology, 23 carers and 19 older adults were interviewed. Findings show that questions in the EAST and CASE are generally well understood, but that adaptations of both tools are necessary for use within South Africa. Fear, knowledge, and experience of crime also showed that strangers, like family, deliberately use deception to build trust and abuse. Further validation is needed to determine suitable scoring and use by health and social care practitioners.

Our understanding of effective elder abuse (EA) response interventions is limited. Adult Protective Services (APS), the primary agency responsible for responding to EA, lacks a coherent, conceptually driven, prolonged intervention phase. Informed by an ecological-systems perspective and adapting evidence-based modalities from other fields, the RISE EA intervention addresses this APS systems gap. Based on a three-year pilot project involving a partnership between RISE and Maine APS, the current study conducted a qualitative evaluation of RISE, from the perspective of APS caseworkers (n = 14) who worked with RISE, to understand RISE strengths and areas for improvement. Findings suggest APS workers perceive that RISE complements the scope and nature of APS, enhances APS caseworker well-being, and reduces repeat APS cases, while further APS/RISE collaboration and clarification on RISE role responsibilities and referral eligibilities are areas of growth. This study provides preliminary evidence for RISE as a community-based EA intervention in partnership with APS.