Factors contributing to elder abuse in Ethiopia

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to increase understanding of elder abuse in Ethiopia by considering the perspectives of abused elders. Design/methodology/approach -A phenomenological study was conducted to investigate the lived experience of 15 elders (six men, nine women) in Ethiopia who experienced domestic abuse. Data were collected using unstructured interviews and were analyzed using interpretive phenomenological analysis. The results described here focus on Ethiopian elders' perceptions of factors contributing to abuse. Findings -Themes identified in elders' statements about the factors contributing to elder abuse included: declining respect for elders, conflicts of interest, poor health, mutual dependency and other economic issues, and loss of support providers. Abject poverty was evident as an underlying influence contributing to abuse. One elder stated, "Life is meaningless without food and without a caregiver. I am ready to welcome death." Research limitations/implications -Documentation of elder abuse is needed to bring recognition to abuse as a problem deserving public attention and response. Practical implications -Given the apparent influence of poverty-related factors on the occurrence of elder abuse among the study's participants, policy initiatives are needed to enhance the economic well-being of older adults in Ethiopia. Originality/value -Since elder abuse is generally not viewed as a societal problem in Ethiopia, there have been very few studies documenting its existence. Research on elder abuse in Ethiopia and other developing nations can help to bring the issue to the attention of communities and authorities.

Attributions of elder neglect: A phenomenological study of older people in Ghana

“…Older people identified that the death of their spouse, especially when the deceased spouse was active in providing emotional and material supports, makes older people experience difficulties meeting basic needs. Older people's deprivations found in this study affirm the finding that when support providers are lost, it often results in elder neglect or abuse (Chane & Adamek, 2015). The evidence in the current study also supports the ecological theory asserting that personal characteristics of older people, such as being a widow following the death of one's partner, have the potential to deprive older people of meeting essential needs (Perel‐Levin, 2008).…”

“…Ecological perspective mainly identifies elder neglect as an issue, which culminates in the interaction between the features of older people, their relationship with others, elements of the community and macro factors, including policies and laws. As demonstrated by other studies, relevant factors such as the depleting standard of respect for elders, poor health of caregivers or older people, mutual dependency, and economic well‐being of older people and their families can contribute to elder neglect (Chane,2014; Chane & Adamek,2015).…”

Violence against older women: A systematic review of qualitative literature

“…Violence occurring within the family was discussed in 15 articles [35,39,43,44,46,48,49,55,63,66,68,69,71,76,79], with perpetrators including family members not including children [27,43,44,48,49,59,63,68,69,71] and adult children [35,39,48,66,76,79]. Studies captured instances of physical and verbal aggression by mentally ill adult children against older women [66], violence enacted by elderly with dementia against older women who were caregivers [46], and forms of neglect, financial exploitation and emotional abuse enacted by family members, including children [44].…”

“…Financial control spanned instances of elder abuse, family violence and IPV [43,53,62,64,76,78], and was described as co-occurring with and resulting in other forms of violence. Financial exploitation could result in emotional and/ or physical violence if older women resisted control [62,64].…”

The Challenges of Retirees and Older Persons in Nigeria; a Need for Close Attention and Urgent Action

“…Risk factors that may increase the potential for abuse of an older person can be identified at different levels and include: individual; poor physical and mental health of the victim, mental disorders and alcohol/substance abuse in the abuser etc., relationship; shared living situations, poor family relationships etc., community; social isolation of caregivers and older persons, and socio-cultural beliefs and practices [27][28][29][30].…”