title: The prevalence of lifetime abuse among older adults in seven European countries.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the lifetime prevalence rate of abuse among older persons and to scrutinize the associated factors (e.g. demographics).
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional population-based study had 4467 participants, aged 60-84, from seven European cities. Abuse (psychological, physical, sexual, financial and injuries) was measured based on The Revised Conflict Tactics Scale, and the UK survey of abuse/neglect of older people.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Over 34 % of participants reported experiencing lifetime psychological, 11.5 % physical, 18.5 % financial and 5 % sexual abuse and 4.3 % reported injuries. Lifetime psychological abuse was associated with country, younger age, education and alcohol consumption; physical abuse with country, age, not living in partnership; injuries with country, female sex, age, education, not living in partnership; financial abuse with country, age, not living in partnership, education, benefiting social/partner income, drinking alcohol; and sexual abuse with country, female sex and financial strain.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High lifetime prevalence rates confirm that elder abuse is a considerable public health problem warranting further longitudinal studies. Country of residence is an independent factor associated with all types of elder abuse which highlights the importance of national interventions alongside international collaborations.
authors.affiliation: Section of Public Health Science, Department of Health Sciences, Mid Sweden University, Sundsvall, Sweden. bahareh.eslami@miun.se.|Department of Occupational and Public Health Sciences, University of Gävle, Gävle, Sweden. bahareh.eslami@miun.se.
authors.forename: Bahareh
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Eslami
authors.affiliation: Section of Public Health Science, Department of Health Sciences, Mid Sweden University, Sundsvall, Sweden.
authors.forename: Eija
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Viitasara
authors.affiliation: Section of Public Health Science, Department of Health Sciences, Mid Sweden University, Sundsvall, Sweden.|Department of Occupational and Public Health Sciences, University of Gävle, Gävle, Sweden.
authors.forename: Gloria
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Macassa
authors.affiliation: Centre for Socio-Economic Research on Ageing, Italian National Institute of Health and Science on Aging, I.N.R.C.A, Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria Gabriella
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Melchiorre
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, University of Emden, Emden, Germany.|Brandeis University, Waltham, USA.
authors.forename: Jutta
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lindert
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Management, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania.|Health Service Management Department, Centre for Health Innovation, School of Medicine, University of Griffith, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia.
authors.forename: Mindaugas
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stankunas
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigacion Biomedica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Torres-Gonzalez
authors.affiliation: Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, University of Porto Medical School, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Henrique
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Barros
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, National School of Public Health, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ioannidi-Kapolou
authors.affiliation: Section of Public Health Science, Department of Health Sciences, Mid Sweden University, Sundsvall, Sweden.
authors.forename: Joaquim J F
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Soares
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004552:Elder Abuse / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology / Q000639:trends*; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Determinant; Elder abuse; Financial; Injuries; Psychological; Sexual