Citation

Smith JR. J. Elder Abuse Negl. 2015; 27(4-5): 328-355.

Affiliation

Department of Social Service , Fordham University , New York , New York , USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/08946566.2015.1082527

PMID

26565436

Abstract

This study examines elder abuse within the broader framework of parenting in later life and focuses on the experience of older women who are mothers with "difficult" adult children. The sample is low-income and minority older women (>62). It includes two sub-samples: women who were recruited in senior centers and women who were recruited in the elder abuse service network. Using constructive grounded theory (Charmaz, 2014), the women's subjective experience of living with difficult or abusive adult children is explored. The analysis reveals that the women's lens as mothers informs their explanations for why their adult children are having problems and their reasons for not being able to take action to limit their adult children's difficult/abusive behaviors. The author suggests the utility of incorporating a feminist framework that highlights adult child-to-mother violence as a means of increasing self-reporting of elder abuse and older women's willingness to accept services.

Language: en