Intimate partner violence, spouse extramarital affairs, and depression among women in rural Uganda

Kaggwa, Mark Mohan; Namatanzi, Brendah; Kule, Moses; Nkola, Rahel; Sm, Najjuka; Ashaba, Scholastic

doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-385274/v1

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Culturally, in Uganda, older people were highly respected; younger people and children would even kneel to greet them, and were considered a symbol of knowledge and power, but all has changed in recent years mainly due to cultural dilution [5]. The country has also been affected by high rates of domestic violence, especially towards women in rural settings, and the law has poorly handled them, thus perpetrating these unhealthy behaviors against many individuals, including older persons [9][10][11][12]. These challenges impact older person's quality of life and make them susceptible to neglect and abuse by their peers and family members [5,13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors associated with elder abuse and neglect in rural Uganda: A cross-sectional study of community older adults attending an outpatient clinic

et al. 2023

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Background Elderlies are vulnerable to abuse, and evidence suggests that one in three elderlies experience abuse. Abuse can impact the well-being of older persons, decreasing their quality of life, leading to mental health challenges, and increasing morbidity and mortality rates. Evidence on older person/elder abuse and neglect is vital to facilitate initiatives, but there are fewer studies on elder abuse and neglect in Africa, particularly in Uganda. Thus, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of different types of abuse and neglect, and their associated factors among older persons (aged 60 years and above) attending an outpatient clinic. Methods In this cross-sectional study, information on sociodemographic characteristics, functional impairment using the Barthel Index, and elder abuse severity using the Hwalek-Sengstock Elder Abuse Screening Test were collected. In addition, types of abuse were assessed using questions adapted from the US National Research Council on elder mistreatment monograph. Linear and logistic regression analyses were used to determine the factors associated with elder abuse severity and the different types of abuse, respectively. Results Overall, the prevalence of elder abuse was 89.0%. Neglect was the most common type of elder abuse (86%), followed by emotional abuse (49%), financial abuse (46.8%), physical mistreatment (25%), and sexual abuse (6.8%). About 30.4% of the abused elders experienced at least two forms of abuse. Factors associated with elder abuse severity were having a secondary level of education and physical impairment. Moderate to severe functional dependence was associated with almost all forms of abuse. Individuals who reported the presence of a perpetrator were likely to experience neglect, emotional, and physical mistreatment. However, those who reported their perpetrators to the police had a higher likelihood of experiencing emotional abuse but were less likely to experience financial abuse. Emotional abuse was also associated with age above 80 years and attaining education (primary and secondary). Physical impairment and chronic medical conditions reduced the likelihood of experiencing neglect and financial abuse, and physical abuse, respectively. Conclusions Uganda has a high prevalence of elder abuse and neglect. There is a need to design interventions for older adults at risk to prevent elder abuse from escalating further, where the present findings can be worthy of help.

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