ABSTRACT
Objective To explore the relationship between elder abuse and mental health, and the modifying effect of social support between them in rural area. Methods A multi-stage stratified random sampling method was used to select 1 418 elderly people aged 60 years and above from rural areas of Changsha, Zhuzhou and Xiangtan in Hunan Province. Logistic regression model was established to test the relationship among the variables. Results After controlling the basic characteristic variables, when the abuse experience, mental abuse, care neglected, chronicity and multiplicity of abuse increased by one unit,the level of mental health decreased by 21.4%(OR=2.14,95% CI:1.49-2.83, P=0.001)、34.2%(OR=3.42,95% CI:1.53-4.26, P<0.001)、17.8%(OR=1.78,95% CI:1.36-2.41, P=0.001)、25.4%(OR=2.54,95% CI:1.68-2.93, P<0.001) and 13.7%(OR=1.37,95% CI:1.15-2.37, P=0.001), respectively. After social support variables were added, the negative impact coefficient of abuse on mental health decreased. However, it had no statistical significance among the male elderly. Subjective support had greater moderating effect than objective support. Conclusions Abuse is a risk factor for mental health among the elderly. High level of social support can reduce the negative impact of abuse on the mental health among female elderly.