NCJ Number
219952
Journal
Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect Volume: 18 Issue: 2/3 Dated: 2006 Pages: 67-85
Date Published
2006
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This survey solicited examples of elder abuse (adult child against an elderly parent) rated as extreme, moderate, and mild by a convenience sample of 53 Italians (15 men and 38 women).
Abstract
Physical abuse and neglect were most often mentioned as examples of extreme elderly abuse, and psychological aggression and neglect were predominant as examples of moderate and mild elder abuse. Examples of neglect were mentioned with equal frequency at all levels of severity; however, physical aggression was mentioned primarily as a form of extreme abuse. The most frequently identified types of specific abuse were abandonment, verbal abuse, emotional abuse, and psychological neglect. Regarding gender differences in examples of extreme abuse, women mentioned more instances of financial exploitation. Women also provided more examples of verbal aggression and disrespect as examples of moderate abuse. Women were more likely than men to mention behaviors related to power or control as examples of mild abuse. A statistically significant negative relationship was found between age and the number of examples of particular types of mistreatment at each level of severity. Participants were originally recruited for a larger international study of international perspectives on family violence and abuse. Participants in the larger study responded in person or online to the Cross-cultural Definitions of Family Violence and Abuse Survey (Malley-Morrison, 2004), which included items that requested examples of severe, moderate, and mild abuse within various family interactions. The current study included only data from the 56 participants who responded to the elder mistreatment portion of the survey. 3 tables and 19 references