Elder Abuse in Chinese Populations: A Global Review

Abstract

This review focuses on the epidemiology of elder abuse in the global Chinese population with respect to its prevalence, risk factors, and consequences, as well as the perceptions of elder abuse. Evidence revealed that elder abuse and its subtypes are common among the global Chinese population with prevalence ranging from 0.2% to 64%. Younger age, lower income levels, depression, cognitive impairment, and lack of social support were consistently associated with self-reported elder abuse. Caregiver burden was a constant risk factor for the proclivity to elder abuse by caregivers. The adverse health outcomes of elder abuse included suicidal ideation and psychological stress. Some primary research gaps exist: such as, lack of consistency in measurements and recall periods, insufficient studies on the causal relationships between potential risk factors and elder abuse, consequences of elder abuse, and possible interventions. In order to reduce the risk of elder abuse in the global Chinese population, collaboration is encouraged among researchers, health care professionals, social service providers, and policy makers.

Resilience and social support as protective factors against abuse of patients with dementia: A study on family caregivers

“…This result may be explained by the fact that the number of hours increases with the severity of deterioration and its effect depends on mediators factors such as the level of social support received. 6,40 The results have also proven that perceived burden in the caregiver significantly increases the risk of abuse. These results are supported by different studies such as those by Pérez-Rojo et al 16 and…”

The Association between Filial Piety and Perceived Stress among Chinese Older Adults in Greater Chicago Area

“…It is culturally believed that the presence of disharmony in family relationships disturbs the balance of a person’s everyday life and obstructs the prosperity of the entire family [56]. The tension between family members may be manifested in the form of elder mistreatment [57–65], which in turn may engender more psychological stressors among older adults [24,60,62,66–69]. …”

Typology of Family Relationship and Elder Mistreatment in a US Chinese Population

“…Chinese Americans constitute the largest segment of the Asian American population . US older Chinese immigrants rely heavily on their families due to language and cultural barriers, which put them at a higher risk to experience EM . Meanwhile, immigration and acculturation processes have profound effects on the family relationship of minority older adults .…”