Prevalence of elder abuse and neglect: screening in Poland families

Status and influencing factors of elder neglect by geriatric nursing assistants in Chinese nursing homes: a cross-sectional survey

Background

In nursing homes, elder neglect has come to the forefront. Currently, few studies have examined the impact of personal and organizational factors of geriatric nursing assistants on elder neglect. From the perspective of geriatric nursing assistants, this study aims to explore the current situation and influencing factors of elder neglect in Chinese nursing homes.

Methods

A convenience sampling method was used to recruit 412 geriatric nursing assistants from 50 nursing homes in China. Participants were surveyed using a demographic questionnaire, the Elder Neglect Scale for Geriatric Nursing Assistants, the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), and the Proactive Personality Scale (PPS). Spearman correlation analysis and multiple linear regression were used to analyze the factors influencing elder neglect.

Results

Geriatric nursing assistants scored a median of 74 out of 85 on the Elder Neglect Scale. Multiple linear regression analyses showed that the main personal factors influencing geriatric nursing assistants' elder neglect were general self-efficacy (β = 0.312), proactive personality (β = 0.180), and advanced qualification (β = 0.084), while the main organizational factors included monthly salary ≤ 1,900 RMB (β = -0.256), no regular training after induction (β = -0.253), and the number of days off per month (3-4 days off β = 0.192, ≥ 5 days off β = 0.101).

Conclusion

Although geriatric nursing assistants are at low levels of elder neglect, it remains a cause for concern. Among the personal factors, geriatric nursing assistants who possessed proactive personalities, high self-efficacy and advanced qualifications, exhibited low levels of elder neglect. Among the organizational factors, those who possessed a high number of days off per month portrayed low levels of elder neglect. Conversely, those who received low monthly salaries and no regular training after induction portrayed high levels of elder neglect. To reduce the risk of elder neglect, nursing homes should give due consideration to candidates' self-efficacy and proactive personality traits when recruiting, and focus on fostering these personality traits in their employees during their work. In addition, strengthening regular training for geriatric nursing assistants, optimizing the salary structure, and arranging rest days in a reasonable manner are also necessary measures.

High Rate of Elder Abuse in the Time of COVID-19-A Cross Sectional Study of Geriatric and Neurology Clinic Patients

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is believed to have caused a sharp increase in the incidence of elder abuse (EA), including as a result of isolation, social distance combined with increased interpersonal stressors. Thus, the aim of this study is to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the elder abuse rates and the characteristics of risk factors. A total of 347 patients hospitalized in the Department of Neurology and Department of Geriatrics at University Hospital No. 1 in Bydgoszcz were selected as subjects for the analysis. The tools used in the study are: Authors-Designed Questionnaire, the Vulnerability to Abuse Screening Scale, the Geriatric Depression Scale and the Activities of Daily Living Scale. Descriptive statistics, chi-squared tests, Spearman's rank correlation test, and logistic regression analyses were used. In the studied population, nearly 45% of the elderly were victims of violence. This represents an increase of more than 6 percent compared to the pre-pandemic. The most common type of EA was psychological abuse (72.3%). In the final models, the risk factors include, among others, low income (OR = 3.60, 95% CI = 1.93-6.72), chronic diseases (OR = 2.06, 95% CI = 1.28-3.31), poor relationship with the family (OR = 3.26, 95% CI = 1.96-5.43), and moderate and severe depression (OR = 18.29, 95% CI = 10.24-32.69; OR = 18.49, 95% CI = 3.91-87.30, respectively). Moreover, moderate functional impairment 5.52 times more often and severe functional impairment 21.07 times more likely to predispose to EA. People who suffered from COVID-19 are 1.59 times more likely to be victims of EA (95% CI = 1.03-2.46). In this study, we saw significant increases in EA rates during the COVID-19 pandemic.