Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Sep;2(9):784-795.
doi: 10.1038/s43587-022-00280-2. Epub 2022 Sep 23.

Elder abuse prevalence and risk factors: findings from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging

David Burnes  1 , Karl Pillemer  2 , Tony Rosen  3 , Mark S Lachs  4 , Lynn McDonald  5
Affiliations

Elder abuse prevalence and risk factors: findings from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging

David Burnes et al. Nat Aging. 2022 Sep.

Abstract

Elder abuse (EA) is a pervasive problem with serious consequences. Previous population-based EA risk factor research has largely used cross-sectional designs that limit causal inferences, or agency records to identify victims, which threatens external validity. Based on a national, prospective, population-based cohort sample of older adults (n = 23,468) over a 3-year period from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging, the current study sought to estimate the prevalence of EA and identify risk and protective factors. Past-year prevalence of any EA was 10.0%. Older adults with greater vulnerability related to physical, cognitive and mental health, childhood maltreatment and shared living were at higher EA risk, while social support was protective against EA. Older adults identifying as Black or reporting financial need were at heightened EA risk. This longitudinal, population-based study advances our understanding of EA risk/protective factors across several domains and informs the development of EA prevention strategies.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

COMPETING INTERESTS STATEMENT

The authors declare no competing interests

References

    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Elder abuse surveillance: uniform definitions and recommended core data elements. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/ea_book_revised_2016.pdf. Accessed January 5, 2021.
    1. 2015 White House Conference on Aging. Final report. https://whitehouseconferenceonaging.gov/2015-whcoa-final-report.pdf. Accessed January 5, 2021.
    1. World Health Organization. World report on ageing and health. http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/186463/1/9789240694811_eng.pdf?.... Accessed January 6, 2021.
    1. Bonnie RJ, Wallace RB, eds. Elder Mistreatment: Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation in an Aging America. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2003. - PubMed
    1. Yon Y, Mikton CR, Gassoumis ZD, Wilber KH. Elder abuse prevalence in community settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Glob Health. 2017;5(2): e147–e156. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources