Citation

Gil AP, Kislaya I, Santos AJ, Nunes B, Nicolau R, Fernandes AA. J. Elder Abuse Negl. 2014; 27(3): 174-195.

Affiliation

a National Health Institute Doutor Ricardo Jorge, I.P. , Avenida Padre Cruz, 1649-016 Lisboa , Portugal.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/08946566.2014.953659

PMID

25122109

Abstract

In this study, we present findings of the Portuguese national prevalence study, "Aging and Violence", the purpose of which was to estimate the prevalence of abuse and neglect of older people in family settings over a 12-month period and examine the relationship between abuse and socio-demographic and health characteristics. Through a telephone survey of a representative probability sample (N=1,123), we evaluated 12 abusive behaviors and demographic data. Overall, 12.3% of older adults experienced elder abuse in family settings. The prevalence rates of specific types were as follows: psychological, 6.3%; financial, 6.3%; physical, 2.3%; neglect, 0.4%; and sexual, 0.2%. Logistic regression was employed to determine the relationship between abuse and covariates. The survey results suggest that education level, age and functional status are significantly associated with abuse. Older Portuguese adults experienced elder abuse at the hands of family, either immediate or extended. Accurate estimates of the prevalence of elder abuse and understanding of victim and perpetrator characteristics are fundamental to designing effective strategies for prevention and intervention.

Language: en