TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2023//
TI  - Prevalence and predictors of elder abuse among older adults attending emergency departments: a prospective cohort study
JO  - Canadian journal of emergency medicine
A1  - Gagnon, Samuel
A1  - Nadeau, Alexandra
A1  - Tanguay, Katherine
A1  - Archambault, Patrick M.
A1  - Brousseau, Audrey-Anne
A1  - Carmichael, Pierre-Hugues
A1  - Emond, Marcel
A1  - Deshaies, Jean-Francois
A1  - Benhamed, Axel
A1  - Blanchard, Pierre-Gilles
A1  - Mowbray, Fabrice I.
A1  - Mercier, Eric
SP  - ePub
EP  - ePub
VL  - ePub
IS  - ePub
N2  - INTRODUCTION: Elder abuse is associated with impaired physical and psychological health. It is, however, rarely identified in emergency departments (EDs). The objective was to determine the prevalence and the predictors of elder abuse among older adults visiting EDs. <br><br>METHODS: This prospective cohort study was conducted in eight Canadian EDs between May and August 2021. Patients were eligible if they were ≥ 65 years old, oriented to time, and with a Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale score 3, 4 or 5. In a private setting, participants were questioned directly about abuse as part of a larger questionnaire exploring ten non-medical problems. We used multivariable logistic regression to identify predictors of elder abuse. <br><br>RESULTS: A total of 1061 participants were recruited (mean age: 77.1 (SD 7.6) years, female sex: 55.7%, lived alone: 42.5%). Patients mostly attended EDs for pain (19.6%), neurologic (11.3%) or cardiovascular (8.4%) symptoms. The most frequent pre-existing comorbidities were hypertension (67.2%), mental health conditions (33.3%) and cardiac insufficiency (29.6%). Mobility issues outside (41.0%) or inside their home (30.7%) and loneliness (29.4%) were also frequent. Fifty-four (5.1%) participants reported elder abuse, of which 34.3% were aware of available community-based resources. Identified predictors of elder abuse were female sex (OR 2.8 [95%CI 1.4; 5.6]), financial difficulties (OR 3.6 [95%CI 1.8; 7.3]), food insecurity (OR 2.7 [95%CI 1.2; 5.6]), need for a caregiver (OR 2.7 [95%CI 1.5; 5.0]) and at least one pre-existing mental health condition (OR 2.6 [95%CI 1.4; 4.9]). <br><br>CONCLUSION: When questioned directly, 5.1% of older adults attending EDs reported experiencing abuse. Female sex, functional impairment, social vulnerability, and mental health comorbidities are associated with elder abuse. Given its importance and relatively high prevalence, ED professionals should have a low threshold to ask directly about elder abuse.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1481-8035
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s43678-023-00600-4
ID  - ref1
ER  -