Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect最新文献

The research examining elder abuse in diverse cultural contexts, such as in Saudi Arabia, remains limited. This study examined the extent of psychological elder abuse among older Saudi adults and investigated the characteristics of the victims that increase the risk of such abuse and its impact on older adults' self-rated health. Between December 2021 and April 2022, a sample of 444 older adults were recruited from 25 primary health care centers in Saudi Arabia and completed a structured interview. Of those surveyed, 88.3% reported at least one symptom or suspected symptom of psychological elder abuse. Age, gender, income, living arrangements, functioning, and social networking predicted vulnerability psychological elder abuse. Self-rated health was negatively impacted by psychological elder abuse, and this relationship is not moderated by social networking. These findings can provide insights about psychological elder abuse in Saudi Arabia and increase awareness of its impact.

Elder abuse and neglect (EAN) are serious health and human rights issues. Less is known about EAN in refugee communities. University researchers and leaders of a refugee services nonprofit partnered to conduct an exploratory community engaged study on EAN risks in two refugee communities in North Carolina. A convenience sample of 17 Nepali-speaking Bhutanese and 13 Congolese self-identified older adults filled short surveys and participated in Focus Group Discussions (FGDs). Descriptive survey findings showed EAN risk, isolation, economic insecurity, and family dependency, more among Congolese. FGDs yielded no reports of EAN, but showed dependence on family, and difficulties with language, transportation, and economic insecurity in both groups. These factors indicate individual and contextual vulnerabilities for EAN in these communities. An EAN awareness event was conducted for participants by a family violence nonprofit. Refugee older adults need culturally appropriate coordinated services including EAN information, English classes, job skills, income, and transportation.

Financial exploitation of older adults bears detrimental physical and psychological consequences. However, risk factors of financial exploitation vulnerability (FEV) remain elusive. In line with a growing awareness of the importance of subjective perceptions of the aging process for older adults' functioning and well-being, this study examined the connection between subjective age (feeling younger/older than one's chronological age) and FEV, and the moderating effect of social support on this connection. Data were collected from a convenience sample of 137 Israeli older adults (age range 60-89, M = 69.90, SD = 6.85), who completed scales of FEV, subjective age, and social support, as well as relevant socio-demographic information. Older subjective age was associated with increased FEV when social support was low, but not when social support was high. Results are discussed in line with Socio-Emotional Selectivity Theory and provide initial information pertaining to the relevance of subjective age perceptions to FEV in older adults.

Elder abuse is a serious social problem in South Korea. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and identify risk factors of elder abuse during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. By using the 2020 Living Profiles of Older People Survey in Seoul Metropolitan City and considering sociodemographic, health-related, social support, and isolation factors as independent variables, a logistic regression model was established. Among 3,106 samples, the overall rate of elder abuse was 8.5%, with emotional abuse being the most frequent. Social isolation (OR = 1.47, p = .018) and recognition of abuse (OR = 0.90, p = .003) were associated with having experienced abuse. Seniors with a greater number of diseases, higher levels of dependency, depressive symptoms, and/or cognitive impairments were more likely to suffer abuse, as were those who smoked or drank alcohol. To prevent elder abuse by social isolation during and after COVID-19, more active health promotion programs and healthy aging policies should be implemented.

This study aims to explore the prevalence of self-neglect and associated factors among older adults admitted to the hospital in the COVID-19 pandemic context. The cross-sectional study conducted at a Chinese comprehensive hospital between January and April 2021, 452 older adults were recruited to complete the Abrams Geriatric Self-Neglect Scale, Social Support Rate Scale, FRAIL scale, Barthel index, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. Multivariate logistic regression was used to explore the factors associated with elder self-neglect. The results showed that the prevalence of self-neglect among our sample was 30.3%. Factors that were associated with the risk of elder self-neglect included male, having multiple children (≥4), receiving infrequent visits from children, frailty, and depression. There is a need to screen for self-neglect among older adults admitted to the hospital in the COVID-19 pandemic context. Tailored interventions are warranted to improve the quality of life of older adults.

Applying co-design methodologies is increasingly recommended for engaging diverse end-users and bridging evidence-practice gaps. Yet, one of the ongoing challenges for research using co-design is the lack of evidence as to whether co-design leads to better outcomes than not using co-design. In this article, we outline how, despite adhering to a time and resource intensive co-design process with strong moral and ethical foundations, its implementation by end-users led to mixed outcomes around improved elder abuse screening. We discuss the implications of these ambiguous results, arguing that "noise" in our data might be inevitable due to the inherent sensitivities associated with elder abuse screening and offer a polemical recommendation about why the Australian Elder Abuse Screening Instrument (AuSI) should nevertheless be rolled out.

Adult protective services (APS) programs vary markedly, yet few studies have quantified this diversity. In 2020, a survey of Ohio's 85 county-administered APS programs incorporated subsequent feedback from staff and described the programs in a systematic manner. This process resulted in a 100% response rate and illustrated an efficient approach to measuring organizational characteristics (e.g., whether any staff are mostly dedicated to APS), resources (e.g., access to multidisciplinary teams), and practices (e.g., how often staff create a plan to meet client goals). The prevalence of many factors differed by the number of older adults the program served. For instance, 75% of programs in large counties had regular opportunities to share complex cases with a multidisciplinary team, compared to 28% of programs in small counties. Understanding the diverse characteristics of APS programs - and how to measure them - can help agencies guide quality improvement efforts and the dissemination of innovations.

This study aimed to examine the associations between perceived social support and help-seeking among U.S. Chinese older adults who reported elder mistreatment (EM). Data were from the Population Study of Chinese Elderly in Chicago. Perceived social support and informal/formal help-seeking intentions and behaviors were measured. Descriptive statistics, multiple linear regressions, and multinomial logistic regression analyses were performed. A total of 450 participants reported EM. Mean age of the sample was 72.73 ± 8.03 years old. Perceived social support was associated with an increase in intentions of seeking help from informal sources. Compared with not seeking help, older Chinese-American adults with any EM who perceived social support were more likely to seek help from informal and formal sources. The potential role of social support in increasing help-seeking was highlighted. Culturally tailored interventions that provide social support might promote help-seeking among U.S. Chinese elder immigrants who experienced EM.