Prevalence of Caregiver Abuse by the Elderly in Nursing Homes of Tehran and its Related Factors

Objectives :

Several studies have assessed elder abuse, while caregiver abuse by the elderly has been less addressed. The present study aims to assess the prevalence and associated factors of caregiver abuse by the elderly in nursing homes of Tehran, Iran.

Methods & Materials:

 This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2018 on 124 caregivers of the elderly who were selected using a convenience sampling method from 14 nursing homes in Tehran, Iran. The caregiver abuse was measured by the Survey of Violence Experienced by Staff (SOVES). The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS v. 24.

Results:

 The mean age of participants was 36.74±8.38 years, and 68.5% were female. The prevalence of caregiver abuse in the previous 12 months was 42.7%. Of these, 37.1% had experienced verbal abuse, 12.9% threats, and 24.2% physical abuse. The chi-square test results revealed a significant association between employment status and caregiver abuse, where full-time caregivers were four times more likely to experience abuse (χ2(1) =7.43, P=0.006, OR=4.03). The age, gender, work experience, direct contact, and receiving educational program had no significant association with caregiver abuse by the elderly.

Conclusion:

 There is a high prevalence of caregiver abuse by the elderly in nursing homes of Tehran. Policymakers should plan and take measures to protect the caregivers in nursing homes.