Comparing Elder Abuse and Related Factors between Urban and Rural Elderly

Around the world, about one in six older people has experienced some form of abuse. This study aimed at comparing the rate of abuse and related factors in urban and rural senior people attending health centers in Ghaemshahr, 2020.

In this descriptive-analytical study, 250 older people were selected by systematic random sampling. Data were collected using Domestic Elder Abuse Questionnaire, Abbreviated Mental Test (AMT), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Assessment of Daily Activities of Instrumental Activity of Daily Livening (IADL), and Demographic-Medical Questionnare. Data were analyzed in SPSS V22 applying descriptive statistics tests, independent t-test, and one-way analysis of variance.

The mean age of participants was 69.10±8.57 years of whom 58.8% were women. At least one type of abuse was experienced by 60% of elder people in urban areas and 64.8% of the seniors living in rural regions. Psychological abuse was found to be more prevalent in both groups while rejection was the least common form of abuse. Findings revealed significant associations between elder abuse and gender, education, income, disease status, number of drugs used, urinary incontinence, life companions, number of children, and occupation (P<0.05).

High rate of elder abuse calls for alerting aged people and their caregivers. Appropriate interventions can also help in preventing the consequences of this problem.