Elder abuse among residents of Shivamogga: a cross sectional study

ABSTRACT

Background: As per the WHO estimates the global population of people aged 60 years and above will increase from 900 million in 2015 to about 2 billion in 2050. Abuse of elderly has become a problem even in India. Due to social taboo, the elder abuse at community setting is usually not reported. Even though elder abuse is an important public health problem, very little is known about the extent of abuse especially in developing countries. Methods: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted in Shivamogga. A total of 200 elderly persons were interviewed using a pretested semi structured questionnaire. The person showing suggestive score was further asked about type of abuse and perpetrator of mistreatment. Results: Our study showed total prevalence of elder abuse in the community to be 24%. The extent of abuse was more among females especially the housewives. The most common type of abuse was verbal abuse followed by psychological abuse. Son was the common perpetrator of mistreatment. Conclusions: Elder abuse is much prevalent in the community. There is a need for further studies to generalise the findings.