Elder mistreatment and emotional symptoms among older adults in a largely rural population: the South Carolina elder mistreatment study.
Although two recent major studies provide some insight into the prevalence and correlates of elder mistreatment, the relationship between elder mistreatment and mental health remains unclear. This study begins to address this issue by examining the relationship between elder mistreatment (i.e., a recent history of emotional and physical abuse) and negative emotional symptoms (e.g., anxiety and depression) among 902 older adults aged 60 and above residing in South Carolina. Results demonstrate that emotional, but not physical, abuse is significantly correlated with higher levels of emotional symptoms. This relationship is sustained when controlling for established demographic and social/dependency risk factors. These data suggest that mistreated older adults also suffer from greater emotional symptoms and highlight the need for more research in this area.
Begle
Angela M
AM
National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina,67 President Street—2 South, Charleston, SC 29425, USA. begle@musc.edu
Strachan
Martha
M
Cisler
Joshua M
JM
Amstadter
Ananda B
AB
Hernandez
Melba
M
Acierno
Ron
R
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001007:Anxiety / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D004552:Elder Abuse / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population; D012944:Social Support; D013022:South Carolina / Q000453:epidemiology; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D014705:Verbal Behavior