Abstract
Objective:
to identify the prevalence of neglect and psychological abuse of older adults and their associations with the characteristics of the victim, the aggressor and the type of aggression in Espírito Santo, Brazil.
Method:
a cross-sectional study, with data on reports of neglect and psychological abuse of older adults registered in the Espírito Santo Reports of Disease and Harm Information System between 2011-2018. Analyzes were conducted according to the type of abuse and the independent variables were composed of the characteristics of the victim, the aggressor and the type of aggression. For multivariate analysis, Poisson Regression with robust variance was used.
Results:
during the study period, 296 cases of neglect (18,1%; CI95%: 16,31-20,04) and 193 cases of psychological abuse (11,8%; CI95%: 10,32-13,46) were reported. Neglect was more prevalent against older adults aged 80 years and over, who were black, had a partner, and were disabled, and was often committed by the victim’s son(s) or daughter(s), in their home, in urban areas, in an unmotivated and chronic manner. Psychological abuse was associated with women, perpetrated by men, after alcohol consumption, motivated by intolerance, in the urban area and carried out in a chronic manner.
Conclusion:
the characteristics of the victim, aggressor and aggression were associated with the occurrence of negligence and psychological abuse differently for each type of abuse. Such abuse is often committed in a veiled manner, and thus goes underreported. It is believed that with the diffusion of knowledge and the carrying out of new studies will contribute to the confrontation, monitoring and prevention of this disease.
Keywords:
Violence; Elder Abuse; Health of the Elderly; Mandatory Reporting; Information Systems