title: Social-relational risk factors for predicting elder physical abuse: an ecological bi-focal model.
abstract: Annually in the United States, 1 to 5 million older adults, 65 and above, are physically or sexually injured or mistreated by their caregivers in family settings. This study examined the prevalence and risk factors involved in elder physical abuse by adult child caregivers, moving from the immediate elderly parent/adult child relationship context to more distal social support contexts, utilizing a subsample of 203 elderly participants from the Midlife Development in the United States study (MIDUS II, 2004-2006). LISREL modeling examined causal pathways between elderly demographic characteristics, physical/emotional health, and behavioral and contextual characteristics from an ecological perspective. Data modeling was accomplished using Mplus, PAXW, and SYSTAT statistical software packages. Results indicate that latent factors including older adult health, social isolation of the older adult, and adult child characteristics were significantly associated with elder physical abuse, as mediated by the quality of the elderly parent/adult child relationship.
authors.affiliation: Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1030, USA.
authors.forename: Levente
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: von Heydrich
authors.forename: Lawrence B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Schiamberg
authors.forename: Grace
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chee
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000374:Aggression; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology*; D004552:Elder Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007508:Irritable Mood; D008603:Mental Health; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D012307:Risk Factors; D012934:Social Isolation; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires