Elderly abuse, affecting factors and evaluation of life satisfaction: a cross-sectional study

Giving meaning to internalized violence throughout life by older adults living in rural areas

OBJECTIVES

to understand the meanings of violence internalized throughout life by older adults living in rural areas.

METHODS

a qualitative study, anchored in the Symbolic Interactionism theoretical framework and the Grounded Theory methodological framework in the constructivist aspect. Data collection occurred through individual interviews. Data were coded using the Atlas.ti software.

RESULTS

it was possible to identify that the context of rural areas strengthens patriarchy culture as well as contributing to violence silence and naturalization. It was also found that violence is a product of social inequality and gender inequality.

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS

older adults living in rural areas internalized the violence suffered in a unique way, and this scenario's specific aspects can increase intra-family abuse, as there is a patriarchal culture that promotes social and gender inequality.

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.

Family Networks, Social Networks, and Life Satisfaction of Older Adults in China

Older adults’ family networks and social networks are important factors that influence life satisfaction, but their transmission mechanisms have not been adequately discussed. The objective of this study was to examine the mechanisms through which family networks and social networks influence the life satisfaction of older adults. We empirically examined the effects and mechanisms of older adults’ family networks and social networks on their life satisfaction using the 2018 China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey with a sample size of 11,418 older adults aged 60 years and older. In the research sample, 6.47% of older adults were subjected to at least one form of mistreatment. The research results indicate that family networks (β = 0.0060, p < 0.05) and social networks (β = 0.0122, p < 0.01) have a significant positive effect on older adults’ life satisfaction. The mechanism-of-action test found that family networks and social networks enhance older adults’ life satisfaction, mainly by reducing the level of physical mistreatment they experience, but these networks cannot improve the life satisfaction of the elderly by reducing their emotional mistreatment. Further research found that community-provided medical escorts, home chores, and meal delivery services can all alleviate the decline in life satisfaction among older adults due to emotional mistreatment. This study deepens our understanding of how older adults’ family and social networks affect their life satisfaction as we examine the mediating role of the physical and emotional mistreatment of older adults and discuss the effects of potential policy interventions.