The prevalence and associated risk factors of elder abuse among older people applied to the family health center in the rural district of Turkey

Violence, Abuse and Neglect in Older Women in Rural and Remote Areas: A Scoping Review and Prevalence Meta-Analysis

This systematic review addressed the issue of the abuse and neglect of older women (age 60 and over) in rural and remote areas, examining these phenomena's prevalence, risk and protective factors, consequences, and associated perceptions. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines and the Arksey and O'Malley methodological framework, peer-reviewed articles published until September 2023 were identified in six electronic databases. Out of the manuscripts initially identified (n = 219), 28 articles met the selection criteria. The study's quality was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. The included studies provided a comprehensive overview of this phenomenon, encompassing data from 6,579 older rural women. Prevalence rates of abuse and neglect exhibited wide variability, with an average of 27.3%. Among the risk factors, financial dependence and incapacity stood out, while higher income and education levels were protective factors, among others. Emotional/psychological abuse emerged as the most common form, with significant impacts on older women's physical and mental health. Cultural norms and gender expectations also influenced perceptions of abuse and victims' coping mechanisms. In a context in which access to specialized resources and services is hampered by significant limitations, community awareness and education prove vital to address this issue, which positions social work as key to addressing these challenges. The prevalence of abuse against older rural women is significant. Emotional abuse stands out as a major issue, underscoring the need for comprehensive interventions accounting for cultural and gender factors.

The effect of health empowerment on elder abuse in older adults

BACKGROUND

Understanding elder abuse requires an assessment of variables that may limit older adults' capacities to handle their everyday lives, to live independently, and to defend themselves. This study was conducted to examine the effect of health empowerment on elder abuse in older adults.

METHODS

This cross-sectional and correlational study was conducted with 250 elderly individuals who applied to the internal medicine clinics of a university hospital in Elazig, eastern Turkey. Data were collected using the Descriptive Information Form, Elders Health Empowerment Scale (EHES) and the Hwalek-Sengstock Elder Abuse Screening Test (H-S/EAST).

RESULTS

The average EHES total score of participants was 25.52 ± 6.58. The H-S/EAST total score was 4.22 ± 3.49. Among subscales, the score of "Characteristics of the elder that make him or her vulnerable to abuse" subscale was 1.04 ± 0.83, the score of 'Overt violation of personal rights and direct abuse' subscale was 1.55 ± 1.30, and the score of 'Characteristics of potentially abusive situations' subscale was 1.62 ± 1.94. It was determined that the EHES (β = -0.163, P < 0.01) variable had a negative and significant effect on H-S/EAST. It was found that a one-unit decrease in the EHES variable increased the level of H-S/EAST 0.849 times.

CONCLUSION

It was determined that the level of empowerment of the participants was moderate. Elderly individuals were found to have a moderate risk of elder abuse. It was found that the risk of elder abuse decreased as older individuals became stronger.

Relationship between emotional elder abuse and developmental function of the family

AIM

This study aimed to assess the relationship between emotional elder abuse and the developmental function of the family.

DESIGN

Community-based correlational cross-sectional study was conducted.

METHODS

Data were collected on 265 older adults from July to October 2019 in Tehran-Iran. The samples were selected by simple random sampling and they completed self-report tools: demographic information, emotional elder abuse developmental function in the family. Data analysis was performed using descriptive and inferential statistics and SPSS software v.16.

RESULTS

Mean score of the developmental function in the family was 67.38 (SD = 3.22, range = 0-129). There was a significant negative correlation between the total score of developmental function in the families and emotional elder abuse. Moreover, there was a relationship between the subscale of care and regulation, being attracted to human relationships, purposeful exchange, and creating representatives and ideas with emotional elder abuse.

The prevalence of elder abuse and neglect in rural areas: a systematic review and meta-analysis

PURPOSE

Many epidemiological studies have reported that elder abuse and neglect were prevalent in rural areas. However, none of them has synthesized the literature in this field. Therefore, we aimed to estimate the overall prevalence of elder abuse and neglect in rural areas through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

METHODS

PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library were systematically searched to identify eligible articles, with no language restrictions. Statistical analyses were conducted using Review Manager software (version 5.3). Meta-analyses and sensitivity analysis were performed using a random-effects model. All results were reported as the pooled prevalence of elder and neglect with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The quality of the included studies was evaluated by strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology (STROBE) checklist. Potential publication bias was assessed by the funnel plot.

RESULTS

13 cross-sectional studies involving 10,313 participants were eligible. The prevalence of elder abuse and neglect ranged from 4.5 to 61.7% across the rural areas, and pooled prevalence estimate was 33% (95% CI 23-43). The prevalence of physical abuse was estimated at 7% (95% CI 5-9), financial abuse at 5% (95% CI 4-7), psychological/emotional abuse at 17% (95% CI 11-23), and neglect at 26% (95% CI 17-35). There was significant heterogeneity among the included studies. Stratified analyses revealed that sampling design was part of the heterogeneity source. WHO regions, gender, countries' income classification, and study quality could not explain the potential reasons for heterogeneity.

CONCLUSIONS

The pooled prevalence of elder abuse and neglect was relatively high in rural areas. Early and targeted screening and prevention are needed. There is an urgent need for high quality studies using agreed definition of elder abuse and neglect to protect the potential high risk populations.

Reliability and validity of the polish version of the vulnerability to Abuse Screening Scale (VASS)

Our aim was to assess the psychometric properties and reliability of a Polish version of the VASS. This cross-sectional validation study involved 228 patients above 65 years of age. Authors-Designed Questionnaire, the Geriatric Depression Scale, and the Activities of Daily Living Scale were used to assess construct validity. Psychometric properties, reliability and repeatability were assessed. Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the VASS scale was 0.89. Almost all items showed a high correlation value in relation to the others (R > 0.45). A high coefficient of repeatability and narrow limits of agreement were observed in the Bland-Altman analysis. All items analyzed had excellent intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC>0.9) and weighted kappa (κ > 0.9) scores. Very strong, significant correlations with other tools confirm the accuracy of the VASS scale. Our research shows promising validity and reliability Polish version of the VASS scale to assess the risk of elder abuse and neglect.

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.

Prevalence and associated factors of elder psychological abuse- a cross- sectional screening study, based on a hospitalized community from Poland

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the present work was to exploring the prevalence, perpetrators and predictors of elder psychological abuse.

METHOD

We conducted the cross- sectional study, based on a hospitalized community. The sample consisted of 200 respondents aged ≥60. The Chi-square test and logistic regression models were used.

RESULTS

A total of 29 % respondents experienced at least one type of psychological abuse in the last 12 months. The percentage of women who statistically more often than men experienced arrogance, isolating, insulting and mocking was 71-77 %. It has been shown that the lower the monthly income, the higher the risk of psychological violence. Statistically, the highest percentage of violence in the form of arrogance, vulgarity and blackmail, threats was recorded in people aged 60-65 (48.9 % and 56.3 %, respectively). On the other hand, logistic regression analysis showed that the oldest respondents aged >70 more than three times more often than people from the youngest age category are victims of violence. The rate of arrogance, vulgarity (odd ratio (OR) 2.90;p < 0.01) and mocking (OR 3.56; p < 0.01) is statistically significantly higher, respectively, in people living in towns than in villages. People with chronic diseases are statistically more likely to experience violence in the form of isolation (OR 4.74; p = 0.04). Cohabitants, spouses or sons are the most frequent perpetrators of elder abuse and neglect.

CONCLUSION

This study reveals that statistically more often, psychological abuse is experienced by women, older adults living in urban areas and people with a low socioeconomic status and chronic disease.