Is Psychological Vulnerability Related to the Experience of Fraud in Older Adults?

Lichtenberg, Peter A.; Stickney, Laurie; Paulson, Daniel

doi:10.1080/07317115.2012.749323

Cited by 108 publications

(92 citation statements)

References 16 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The psychologically vulnerable reported fraud at a rate that was 140% higher than the rest of the sample, which means that one out of every 10.3 persons in this group had experienced fraud, compared to one out of 24 for the rest of the sample. These results not only support our previous findings (Lichtenberg et al, 2013) that depressive symptoms and low social-needs fulfillment have an additive effect on fraud predictability, but will serve to remind elder-abuse specialists how broadly psychological vulnerability affects older adults’ lives across a variety of domains. Although social-needs fulfillment and behavioral confirmation were not significant predictors as continuous variables, our analyses indicated that individuals at the extreme ends of these measures were at a higher risk for fraud victimization.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…This study was a direct extension of work by Lichtenberg et al (2013), which examined fraud prediction with both longitudinal and cross-sectional data (social needs measures were only available cross-sectionally). We were able to measure both incidence and prevalence of fraud across a 4-year period and examine in depth the demographic, functional, psychological, and social predictors of new cases of fraud.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Older adults with significant cognitive impairments typically do not participate and there is also concern that older adults may underreport cases of fraud no matter how the questions are asked. Lichtenberg, Stickney, and Paulson (2013), whose work in this area was the only study to use a nationally representative data set that used clinically relevant variables was cited in the proceedings. They examined cross-sectional and longitudinal predictors of fraud and found that high depression and low social needs-fulfillment were significant predictors.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our conceptual framework, (see Lichtenberg, Stickney and Paulson, 2013 for more complete review) is based on previous findings with depression and its impacts and the impact of poor social need fulfillment in aging. Depression has long been known to predict disability and mortality (Blazer, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Psychological and Functional Vulnerability Predicts Fraud Cases in Older Adults: Results of a Longitudinal Study

Lichtenberg

Sugarman

Paulson

et al. 2015

Clinical Gerontologist

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Using cross sectional data Psychological vulnerability was identified as a correlate of older adult’s being defrauded. We extend that research by examining fraud prevalence using longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study, and to identify the best predictors of fraud longitudinally across a 4-year time frame. Whereas reported fraud prevalence was 5.0% in a 5-year look-back period in 2008, it increased to 6.1% in 2012. The rate of new-incident fraud across only a 4-year look-back was 4.3%. Being younger-old, having a higher level of education, and having more depression significantly predicted the new cases of fraud reported in 2012. Psychological vulnerability was a potent longitudinal predictor of fraud, with the most vulnerable individuals being more than twice as likely to be defrauded. Results indicate that fraud victimization among older adults is rising, and that vulnerability variables, along with some demographic variables, predict new cases of fraud.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Psychological and Functional Vulnerability Predicts Fraud Cases in Older Adults: Results of a Longitudinal Study

Lichtenberg

Sugarman

Paulson

et al. 2015

Clinical Gerontologist

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…We further have only limited knowledge of participant demographics, cognitive capacities, and their life circumstances, although we can infer these with some certainty from prior victim profiling research. Nevertheless, the lack of demographic information for a large part of this specific sample precludes the possibility to investigate the moderating influence of participant characteristics known to influence fraud susceptibility (e.g., Lichtenberg, Stickney, & Paulson, 2013) on the effectiveness of forewarning. This issue should be addressed by future research.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forewarning Reduces Fraud Susceptibility in Vulnerable Consumers

Scheibe

Notthoff

Menkin

et al. 2014

Basic and Applied Social Psychology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Telemarketing fraud is pervasive and older consumers are disproportionally targeted. Given laboratory research showing that forewarning can effectively counter influence appeals, we conducted a field experiment to test whether forewarning could protect people who had been victimized in the past. A research assistant with prior experience as a telemarketer pitched a mock scam two or four weeks after participants were warned about the same scam or an entirely different scam. Both warnings reduced unequivocal acceptance of the mock scam although outright refusals (as opposed to expressions of skepticism) were more frequent with the same scam warning than the different scam warning. The same scam warning, but not the different scam warning, lost effectiveness over time. Findings demonstrate that social psychological research can inform effective protection strategies against telemarketing fraud.

show abstract

Associations of Child Maltreatment and Intimate Partner Violence With Elder Abuse in a US Chinese Population

Dong

Wang

2019

JAMA Intern Med

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

nterpersonal violence refers to violence between individuals and is subdivided into family, intimate partner, acquaintance, and stranger violence. 1 It is a pervasive public health issue associated with increased morbidity, mortality, and social and health care costs. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] Research suggests that people exposed to one form of violence might be at higher risks of experiencing other forms of violence. [11][12][13] Within each agerelated stage, the World Health Organization has identified child maltreatment, intimate partner violence, and elder abuse as common types of interpersonal violence. 1 After age 60 years, approximately 11% of people in the United States have experienced elder abuse, and the rates are higher among minority populations. 3,14,15 Elder abuse has been linked to significant health-related consequences. 3,[16][17][18] Identifying individuals with increased risk of abuse among older populations is vital for elder abuse prevention and intervention. There exists a substantial body of literature that suggests a history of sexual abuse as a significant indicator for exposure to subsequent abuse among children and women. 11,[19][20][21][22] Although this is important, there is limited information about different forms of abuse across major lifespan stages and their relationships to elder abuse.Building on the previous work, this study seeks to bridge the knowledge gap by examining lifespan abuse (ie, psycho-IMPORTANCE People who have experienced abuse as a child or violence with an intimate partner might have higher odds of being abused again, but this has been insufficiently investigated regarding elder abuse. More conclusive evidence might be critical to assessment and prevention strategies. OBJECTIVE To examine the associations of child maltreatment and intimate partner violence with elder abuse. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Cross-sectional data of 3157 community-dwelling US Chinese older adults (60 years or older) in Chicago, Illinois, were collected during 2011 through 2013.EXPOSURES Cases of child maltreatment and intimate partner violence. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Cases of elder abuse.RESULTS Of the 3157 US Chinese older adults included in the study, 1328 (42.1%) were men, and the mean (SD) age was 72.8 (8.3) years. The prevalence of elder abuse, child maltreatment, and intimate partner violence in the cohort was 15.2%, 11.4%, and 6.5%, respectively. After adjusting for sociodemographic variables, health status, quality of life, and health change, individuals reporting child maltreatment had increased odds of intimate partner violence (13.4% vs 5.6%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.57; 95% CI, 1.78-3.71) and elder abuse (25.2% vs 13.8%; aOR, 2.08; 95% CI, 1.57-2.75) than those not reporting child maltreatment. Individuals reporting intimate partner violence had increased odds of elder abuse than those not reporting intimate partner violence (48.8% vs 12.9%; aOR, 5.53; 95% CI, 4.01-7.64). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCEPrior abuse across major lifespan stages is associated wit...

show abstract

Is Psychological Vulnerability Related to the Experience of Fraud in Older Adults?

Cited by 108 publications

References 16 publications

Psychological and Functional Vulnerability Predicts Fraud Cases in Older Adults: Results of a Longitudinal Study

Psychological and Functional Vulnerability Predicts Fraud Cases in Older Adults: Results of a Longitudinal Study

Forewarning Reduces Fraud Susceptibility in Vulnerable Consumers

Associations of Child Maltreatment and Intimate Partner Violence With Elder Abuse in a US Chinese Population

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About