Prevalence of Self-reported Domestic Elder Abuse and Its Relation with Personality Traits of Older People and Their Family Caregivers

Jun 10, 2024Archives of Iranian medicine

How Common Self-Reported Elder Abuse at Home Is and Its Link to Personality Traits of Older Adults and Their Family Caregivers

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Abstract

The prevalence of self-reported elder abuse at home is 37.78%.

Older age, female gender, unmarried/single status, lower education, unemployment, and renting a house are associated with higher rates of elder abuse.
Higher levels of agreeableness and extroversion, along with lower levels of neuroticism, may reduce conflict between older individuals and their family members.
These personality traits appear to serve as protective factors against elder abuse.

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BACKGROUND: Elder abuse (EA) is a serious public health issue recognized as a healthcare priority. Personality traits can influence social behaviors. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of self-reported domestic EA and its relationship with personality traits of older people and their family caregivers.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2022. The research population included older people living in the urban community of the Lorestan Province (in the western region of Iran) selected by multistage cluster sampling. In general, 998 older people and their family caregivers were sampled. The data collection tool was a three-part questionnaire: a. demographic characteristics of the older people, b. questionnaire on the incidence of elder abuse, and c. short version of the NEO Five-Factor Inventory-Revised (NEO-FFI-R) for measuring the personality traits of the older people or family caregivers. The statistical software used was Stata 14.

RESULTS: The present study reported that the prevalence of EA at home was 37.78%. In the present study, older age, female gender, unmarried/single status, lower education, unemployment, and rented house characteristics were predictors of EA. High agreeableness, high extroversion, and low neuroticism reduce conflict and tension in older people with their relatives and family, which appear to be protective factors against EA.

CONCLUSION: Policymakers and health experts should prepare training and screening programs to consider these factors so that older people exposed to EA can be identified more quickly and early interventions can be used to improve their health status and increase their quality of life.

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