Abuse among African-American elderly

Defining elder mistreatment in four ethnic groups across two generations

“…Cazenave (1983), Crystal (1987, and Griffin & Williams (1992) note that the research on elder mistreatment among African-Americans is sparse, and largely the result of analysis of larger samples, which often lack sufficient numbers of African-American elderly and do not explore the qualitative details of African-American life or the Black elderly. Cazenave (1983) and Griffin & Williams (1992) have suggested various risk factors for elder mistreatment among African-American families, including low income, poor health, and inverse generational family support. The importance of these factors is supported most recently by Griffin's (1994) exploratory study that examined ideas about mistreatment among African-Americans in rural North Carolina.…”

Elder Abuse and Neglect in African American Families: Informing Practice Based on Ecological and Cultural Frameworks

“…The utilization of this framework reduces the risk of minimizing the role of historical injustice and social exclusion when analyzing the etiology and maintenance of these phenomena. As Griffin and Williams (1992) have expressed, "African American elders share a unique heritage experience in this country. They share the anger and humiliation of a history of slavery.…”

“…When considering perpetrators' risks factors, scholars have highlighted the need to evaluate the contextual issues that negatively impact caregivers. For example, African Americans may be exposed to the challenges of racial discrimination, structural segregation, or anger and hopelessness associated with economic and health disparities (Griffin & Williams, 1992). Thus, the identification of critical contextual factors that negatively impact the lives of caregivers is a critical step to ensure the termination of abusive or neglectful behaviors among multistressed African American families (Griffin, 1999).…”

“…Specifically, Griffin and Williams (1992) have asserted that "violent social influences may predispose some Blacks to behave violently. .…”

“…Likewise, level of risk increases if caregivers experience emotional or mental health problems, such as depression or anxiety, or any type of substance abuse or dependence (Benton, 1999;Spencer, 1995). Caregivers who were abused as children are at an increased risk of abusing their elderly parents (Griffin & Williams, 1992). When considering perpetrators' risks factors, scholars have highlighted the need to evaluate the contextual issues that negatively impact caregivers.…”