Elderly victims of abuse: a five year document analysis

Abstract

Objective: To verify the occurrence of maltreatment of the elderly and its characteristics (location, type, reason, involvement of alcohol/drugs, profile and family relationship of victims and perpetrators) from the police records of a specialized police station over a five year period. Method: A cross-sectional, descriptive and documentary analytical study was performed. The police reports of a medium-sized municipality in the northwest of São Paulo were analyzed from 2008 to 2012. The sociodemographic characteristics of the perpetrators and victims and the data relating to the aggression investigated were: violence; location; reason; the presence of alcohol and drugs during the assault and victim-offender relationship. Data was tabulated using descriptive statistical analysis. Results: Of a total of 572 cases, most of the perpetrators were men (69.2%), Caucasian (56.5%), aged 31-40 years (14.20%) with no information regarding occupation provided (50.70%); most of the victims were women (93.0%), Caucasian (71.5%), aged 60-65 years (46.30%), married (34.10%) and unemployed/retired (59.98 %). Emotional abuse was prevalent (57.0%), occurred in the home of the elderly person (81.3%) and the children of the elderly were the main perpetrators (25.3%). The motives were related to arguments in most cases (53.1%). Conclusion: Women who were Caucasian, married, aged 60-65, unemployed/retired were the main victims, with the perpetrators most frequently their own children, also Caucasian, single and aged 31-40 years. Psychological violence was the most prevalent, primarily triggered by disagreements among those involved, and it occurred most frequently in the residence of the victim. Most of the attackers were not under the influence of alcohol/drugs.

Violência e fragilidade na pessoa idosa

“…Among these the most frequent causes are related to the process of fragilization and high level of family and/or caregiver dependence. 16 Although this relationship is present in the current literature, only three manuscripts of the sample presented it directly.…”

Violence against the Brazilian elderlies: an analysis of hospitalizations

“…Regarding the hospitalizations due to neglect and abandonment, the South Region presented a higher prevalence, although a significant discrepancy was observed in the other regions. This issue may be related to the underreporting of cases, whether due to professionals' limitations in identifying signs of violence (2) , or the lack of reporting by elderly people who often feel shame, intimidation and fear (4,(11)(12) . It was also considered that Brazil is a country with continental dimensions, with wide regional inequalities, in the demographic, economic, social, cultural and health conditions (22) .…”

“…The elderlies are a population group with high vulnerability to abuse, especially when they are single, low educated, have some physical or psychological dependence, and live with children, daughters-in-law and grandchildren (9)(10)(11) . For these and other reasons, such as shame, intimidation, guilty and fear of retaliation or institutionalization, the elderlies do not report the abuse suffered (4,(11)(12) . This is because, in most cases, the perpetrator is family and lives with the elderly (4) .…”

“…Research on the subject has expanded in the international scene since the last decade and has now been more advanced and methodologically more rigorous, contributing with subsidies to tackle the problem (1,6) . In general, in the context of the elderly population, studies cover types of abuse, risk factors and notifications (7,11,14) , as well as violence related to the domestic and institutional environment (4)(5)9) and the approach of the same by health professionals (1)(2)5) . However, there is still little research that deals with the panorama of hospitalizations due to situations of violence (15) .…”

Violência sobre a pessoa idosa: um estudo documental

“…Em relação à idade da vítima, os dados do presente estudo vêm ao encontro de achados que mostram predominância da faixa etária 60-65 anos, indicando a relação da independência e autonomia dos idosos facilitando o processo de denúncia (14) . Idosos mais velhos encontram, muitas vezes, dificuldades em procurar o órgão especializado.…”