Older persons’ definitions and explanations of elder abuse in the Netherlands

Abstract

In this article we explore older persons' definitions of and explanations for elder abuse in the Netherlands by means of interviews with older persons. A qualitative study was conducted based on semistructured interviews with 35 older persons who had no experience with abuse. Our findings show that older persons participating in our study define elder abuse foremost as physical violence that is performed intentionally. The study participants explain elder abuse as a result of the dependency and vulnerability of older persons, of changing norms and values, and of changes in the position of older persons in society, which result in disrespect toward older persons and a lack of social control and responsibility. The older persons' explanations for the occurrence of abuse mainly focus on societal changes; older persons seem to regard elder abuse primarily as a societal problem. This understanding of, and explanation for, elder abuse may influence their detection and reporting behavior, as they may tend to acknowledge only severe cases of intentional physical violence that leave clear and therefore physically detectable evidence.

Help-Seeking Behavior in Victims of Elder Abuse: A Systematic Review

“…Formal sources of help included health professionals (GP practice, community nurses), specialized services (domestic violence centers, specialist support groups), social workers, legal professionals (solicitors, prosecutors), the police, voluntary services, and local councils (Comijs, Pot, Smit, Bouter, & Jonker, 1998;Gil et al, 2017;Mysyuk et al, 2016;Naughton et al, 2013;O'Keeffe et al, 2007;Souto et al, 2015;Yan, 2015). Informal sources included relatives, friends, and neighbors (Comijs et al, 1998;Mysyuk et al, 2016;Naughton et al, 2013;O'Keeffe et al, 2007;Ribot et al, 2015;Souto et al, 2015). Naughton et al (2013) and Tamutiene et al (2013) found that victims generally favored contacting informal over formal sources, though there were variations between countries.…”

“…Individual feelings and external circumstances were perceived to make help-seeking more difficult (n ¼ 11). Victims mentioned shame and embarrassment, self-blame, low selfconfidence and self-esteem, physical frailty, socioeconomic dependency, the stigma associated with seeking help, and feelings of ambivalence (Acierno et al, 2018;Bows, 2018;Chokkanathan et al, 2014;Gil et al, 2017;Mowlam et al, 2007;Mysyuk et al, 2016;Ribot et al, 2015;Tamutiene et al, 2013;Vrantsidis et al, 2016). Some victims also alluded to anxiety and mentioned bereavement as a barrier to action (Bows, 2018;Mowlam et al, 2007).…”

“…Characteristics associated with increased help-seeking behavior included financial abuse being easier to talk about because it is more publicly discussed and experienced by others, making it less shameful to seek help (Mysyuk et al, 2016). This is consistent with the findings of Acierno et al (2018), who compared perpetrator identity (family/friends/acquaintances vs. strangers) with reporting rates to authorities and found that financial abuse (but not emotional abuse) was more Research to date indicates that elder abuse victims face multiple barriers when seeking help.…”

Hospitalized elder abuse in Iran: a qualitative study

“…Even though information obtained directly from the elderly is essential to define, identify, and manage interventions for the prevention of abuse, only a few studies have included and reported their viewpoints [14]. Published studies on elder abuse have indicated a clear difference between the experiences of the elderly and those presented by the health care professionals [15]. Consequently, it was deemed necessary to determine the perception of the patients themselves on what constituted abuse and what was perceived as offensive, humiliating, impertinent, or abusive [16].…”

Violência contra pessoas idosas: um olhar sobre o fenómeno em Portugal

“…(Berman & Lachs, 2011;Dong, 2015). A decisão dos idosos em reportar a situação de vivência de abuso está associada a diversos fatores como a negação, medo de retaliação ou abandono por parte do agressor, vergonha e não ter conhecimento onde se dirigir para procurar apoio (Mysyuk, Westendorp & Lindenberg, 2016;Begley, O´Brien, Anand, Killick & Taylor, 2012). De igual modo, o facto de os idosos assumirem diferentes entendimentos das situações que podem ser consideradas como abusivas, alguns atos de violência por eles vivenciados podem não ser reconhecidos como tal (Idem).…”