Publication: Elder abuse: Nationwide findings among community‐dwelling Malaysian older persons
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Date
2020
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
John Wiley & Sons
Abstract
Aim: Elder abuse is a significant public health problem. This study aims to estimate its prev-alence and associated factors, using representative national Malaysian data.Methods: A nationwide population-based survey involving 3977 community-dwelling olderpersons aged ≥60 years was conducted via face-to-face interview, of whom 3466 older personswere eligible for screening using a locally validated tool. Elder abuse was defined as any oneoccurrence of neglect, financial, psychological, physical or sexual abuse perpetrated by some-one in a position of trust that was experienced in the past 12 months.Results: About 9.0% of older persons in Malaysia have experienced elder abuse in the past12 months, with neglect being the commonest type experienced (7.5%; 95% confidenceinterval [CI]: 5.54, 10.07). There is no significant difference by age group and geographicallocation. Males (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.7; 95% CI: 1.06, 2.60), poorer social support(aOR 5.0; 95% CI: 2.25, 11.22), dependency in activities of daily living (aOR 2.1; 95% CI:1.23, 3.44) and a previous history of abuse (aOR 10.1; 95% CI: 4.50, 22.86) show higher oddsof experiencing elder abuse. Almost 5% of abused older persons reported experiencing multi-ple types of abuse. Reporting is low at 19.3% with none reporting to healthcare personnel.Conclusions: The prevalence of elder abuse in this study is lower than global estimates, butsimilar to local studies. Preventive measures and programs are crucial to overcoming elderabuse and need to be carried out at multiple levels – the individual, community, healthcareand other stakeholders.
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Keywords
community, elder abuse, National Health and Morbidity Survey, NHMS, neglect, older persons