Mistreatment and self-reported emotional symptoms: results from the National Elder Mistreatment Study.
Many community-residing older adults in the United States report past year mistreatment; however, little is known about mental health correlates of abuse. This study investigated whether a recent history of emotional, physical, or sexual abuse is associated with self-reported emotional symptoms (e.g., anxiety, depression) among a representative sample of older adults. Results demonstrated that each abuse type increased likelihood of reporting emotional symptoms; when other known correlates were controlled, only emotional abuse remained a significant predictor. Additional study of mistreatment-related correlates of depression and anxiety is needed, with a focus on the often overlooked category of emotional mistreatment.
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA.
Josh M
JM
Cisler
Angela M
AM
Begle
Ananda B
AB
Amstadter
Ron
R
Acierno
D000368:Aged; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology*; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology*; D004552:Elder Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012742:Sex Offenses / Q000523:psychology; D012947:Social Work