Explanations around physical abuse, neglect and preventive strategies among older Yoruba people (60+) in urban Ibadan Southwest Nigeria: A qualitative study

Abstract

Older people's views, experiences and explanations on abuse and neglect in later life is marginal in the literature. With more cases of physical abuse and neglect in old age in sub-Saharan Africa, this study explored the views and positions of older people and community stakeholders like religious leaders on why physical elder abuse and neglect and preventive measures within community settings in Nigeria. An exploratory research design that consisted of two focus group discussions with older Yoruba men and women (60þ) and six semi-structured interviews with religious leaders (Christianity, Islam, and Traditional) guided the study. Based on thematic analysis, the findings revealed that older persons and religious leaders have multiple interpretations of physical elder abuse and neglect. Social ills, poor economic situation, evil machinations, and stereotypes and misconceptions of old age and spirituality are possible explanations for physical abuse and neglect. The intersecting nature of the factors promoting vulnerability to physical abuse and neglect in later life also emerged in the preventive measures suggested by older persons and community members. As such, the participants affirmed that most older persons are becoming conscious of vulnerability to abuse and do contest actions, relationships, and contexts that can reduce their vulnerability and earn more social acceptance. Nonetheless, the participants expressed worries over the absence of policies and legal frameworks that can protect older people against physical abuse and neglect. More worrisome was the growing spread of social ills, stereotypes around old age, poverty in old age, witchcraft accusations and ageism. These developments are compounding ageing experiences, including physical abuse and neglect in urban spaces in Nigeria.

Risk of violence and functional capacity of hospitalized elderly: a cross-sectional study

“…The victim profile was observed to be women with severe physical and cognitive disability (17) . This study's findings have shown that there was a significant association between risk of violence and being a female, reaffirming previous studies (6,(17)(18) . Although distinct, since violence against the elderly involves intergenerational relations and violence against women relates to gender issues, both aggressions are based on asymmetric power relations and may be associated.…”

Moderated mediation roles of social connectedness and optimism on emotional intelligence and life satisfaction

“…Later life in Nigeria is branded with many difficulties of which poverty is supreme ( Boyi, 2019 ; Adisa, 2019 ). This is because many of the older persons do not have the needed energy to cater for their daily needs, thus depending on their children and grandchildren for their daily essentials ( Adisa, 2019 ; Agunbiade, 2019 ). Social security that is available in most western nations for older adults is lacking in Nigeria ( Anifalaje, 2017 ).…”

“…The overall effect is seen in the level of satisfaction with life among older persons. The situation is far worrisome in Nigeria rural communities where basic social amenities and essentials of life are lacking ( Tanyi et al., 2018 ; Mobolaji et al., 2018 ; Agunbiade, 2019 ).…”

Development and psychometric properties of the hospitalized elder abuse questionnaire (HEAQ): a mixed methods study

“…Also, there are virtually no theory-based explanations of what causes institutional abuse and neglect of older adults [ 7 ]. Evidence shows that the reported prevalence of domestic EA is lower compared to institutional homes and care facilities [ 3 ]. The reported prevalence of institutional EA is heavily underestimated and amounts to only 20% of the true prevalence.…”

“…Many researchers, clinicians, and health policymakers have acknowledged EA as a major threat to the health and Open Access *Correspondence: sakineh_gholamzadeh@yahoo.com well-being of older adults [2]. This social phenomenon can occur within families as well as therapeutic relationships in hospitals and institutional settings such as nursing homes, residential care, and daycare facilities [3,4]. However, one of the main concerns in taking care of older patients is the occurrence of EA in hospitals and institutional settings [4][5][6].…”