Elder Abuse: Review of Protective Factors in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Santos, Ana João; Ribeiro, Oscar

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.18/3366

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Authors

Santos, Ana João

Ribeiro, Oscar

Abstract(s)

Background: Research on older adult’s violence field does not yield the same development on protective as it does on risk factors. Evidence on protective factors is crucial not only because they can reduce the likelihood of violence occurrence, but also act as buffering factors on the risk. This paper’s objective is to undertake a literature review of protective factors for community dwelling older adult’s violence within family context. Method: A search was conducted using PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science and Scopus databases for articles published in English from 2009 up to 2014, to identify original studies with statistically significant protective factors. Studies targeting other than 5 most consensual forms of abuse (e.g. self-neglect), setting in care/health/residential facilities or measuring violence in cognitive impairment population were excluded. Results: Thirteen studies were selected. Only two explicitly aimed at identifying protective factors; the remaining studies focused on risk factors and were included considering multivariate statistical analysis results presenting significant variables decreasing the likelihood of older adult’s violence. Data on some potential protective factors was inconsistent between studies, namely gender, marital status and educational level. Older age groups, individuals without financial problems, employed and perceiving higher levels of social support presented decreased odds of reporting violence. Conclusions: Lack of studies addressing protective factors is clear. The results only show potential protective factors and caution in warranted. Older adult’s violence requires more and better designed studies in order to successfully identify consistent protective factors essential to the development of effective intervention strategies.