Elder abuse and neglect in Bangladesh: understanding issues, associated factors and consequences

Abstract

Background. Fewer studies have attempted to address elder abuse and neglect in Bangladesh despite its widespread prevalence and fatal consequences. Objectives. To collect qualitative facts concerning the nature of elder abuse and neglect in Bangladesh and to find out the causes and impacts of this malpractice. Material and methods. The study categorized older people into ten broader classes and selected four old persons purposively under each category for an in-depth case study. In addition, Focus Group Discussion, Key Informants Interview and observational methods were also used to draw supplementary data. Results. The results show that all old persons interviewed, irrespective of socio-economic status, came up against varying degrees of abuse and neglect by their families, relatives and communities that resulted in their physical ill-health and mental distress. Financial and physical abuses were found more frequent among poor and weaker sections, whereas psychological abuse appeared as severe among those belonging to the middle and affluent classes. Families having strong religious practices and a long tradition of taking care of the elderly were less subjected to elder mistreatment. As is revealed, along with various other factors, degradation of moral and religious values, new family structure and the lower socio-economic status of old people were associated with the maltreatment they faced. Conclusions. Socio-economic insecurity and a poor institutional mechanism for old persons cause a higher incidence of elder abuse and neglect in Bangladesh, which calls for immediate action from all levels.

Exploring depressive symptoms and its associates among Bangladeshi older adults amid COVID-19 pandemic: findings from a cross-sectional study

“…Like the cultures of many other South Asian countries, in Bangladesh, older family members are revered and cared for by family members. Nevertheless, abuse and abandonment cases are also increasing, especially when children view their older parents as financial burdens [ 39 , 40 ]. The lockdown imposed by the Bangladeshi Government to curb COVID-19 spread in the country caused economic turmoil among many Bangladeshi families, which could have also impacted the caregiving and providing for older family members.…”

Elder abuse within the family environment: a systematic review

“…A total of 46 cross-sectional studies (Ruiz Sanmartín et al, 2001;Kuniyoshi et al, 2003;Heath et al, 2005;Daskalopoulos, 2006;Manthorpe et al, 2007;Gaiolo and Rodrigues, 2008;Rinsky and Malley-Morrinson, 2008;Roberto et al, 2008;Biggs et al, 2009;Acierno et al, 2010;Rodrigues et al, 2010;Ghodousi et al, 2011;Shimbo et al, 2011;Amstadter et al, 2011;Abdel Rahman and El Gaafary, 2012;Almeida-da-Silva et al, 2012;Chan et al, 2013;Edirisinghe et al, 2014;Alizadeh-Khoei et al, 2014;Martins-Gil et al, 2014;Park, 2014;Reis et al, 2014;Wilson et al, 2014;Gil et al, 2015;Smith, 2015;Tareque et al, 2015;Carmona-Torres et al, 2015;Morowatisharifabad et al, 2016;Sepúlveda-Carrillo et al, 2016;Evandrou et al, 2017;Farid, 2017;Leung et al, 2017;Lino et al, 2017;Özcan et al, 2017;Silva et al, 2018;Breckman et al, 2018;Curcio et al, 2019;Kołodziejczak et al, 2019;Arruda et al, 2019) and one case-control study (Friedman et al, 2011) were selected i...…”

Model Keperawatan Keluarga Santun Lansia dalam Upaya Peningkatan Kualitas Asuhan Keluarga pada Lansia: A Literature Review

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“…Hal ini menandakan kurang adekuatnya mekanisme koping keluarga dalam merawat lansia yang diperparah dengan keadaan ekonomi yang rendah dan adanya perbedaan pola pikir dengan menantu yang ada di dalam rumah tangga. (13) Lee (2008) juga menyarankan berdasarkan hasil penelitiannya yaitu keluarga sebagai pelaku rawat lansia dianjurkan untuk menerima intervensi program psikososial untuk mengurangi risiko kekerasan yang terjadi pada lansia di Korea Selatan. (15) Pemberian informasi melalui pelatihan kepada pelaku rawat lansia berimplikasi positif terhadap perilaku agresif pelaku rawat.…”