Explaining the Concept of Violence Against the Older Adult: A Hybrid Study

 Violence against the elderly is a single, repetitive act or omission of appropriate action that occurs in an interpersonal relationship and causes harm or discomfort to an elderly person. The lack of a clear definition is one of the challenges of this concept. The present study has been conducted to explain the concept, provide ab operational definition and present some empirical references to violence against the elderly with a hybrid approach.

In this study, the hybrid concept analysis method was used, which includes three steps: theoretical, field research, and analytical. In the first step, the texts were reviewed using Walker and Avant’s approach. In the second step, unstructured interviews using purposive sampling were conducted. Finally, in the third step, the perceptual analysis method was used to integrate the results of the previous two steps.

The results of the final analysis expressed the definition of violence against the disabled elderly and its components, which are violence against the disabled elderly living in the family, including a range of behaviors or actions threatening human dignity and status with or without a purpose that is applied in the living environment or related situations by family members, caregivers or others in the form of exposing the elderly to emotional-mental violence, physical violence, economic violence, sexual violence, social violence, neglect, and abandonment. It is observed as apparent or hidden, intermittent or continuous, and mild to severe. Being neglected, interactive separation, predisposing factors related to the elderly person, and predisposing factors related to the violent perpetrator lead to its occurrence and are associated with destructive personal, family, and social harms.

 The findings of this study can provide a clearer picture of the experiences of this group of elderly people who have all been exposed to violence in some way. Knowledge of the elderly’s experiences and perceptions of the phenomenon of violence leads to an increase in nurses’ awareness of this phenomenon. It reveals essential concepts in nursing, especially in the elderly.