Prevalence of elder abuse in Iran: a systematic review and meta analysis

Abstract

Objectives Abuse of older people is a major issue in societies that can reduce self-confidence, generate feelings of hopelessness and apathy, and cause psychological disability in the elderly. The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of elder abuse in Iran. Methods & MaterialsThis study is a systematic review and meta-analysis, in which all articles about elderly abuse in Iran since 2005-2014 were searched using online databases such as MEDLINE, Google Scholar, SID, Web of Science, and Magiran. Their data were collected and analyzed using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (V 2.0, Biostat) software. Results The highest prevalence (87.8%) of elder abuse was found in Tehran (Manochehry et al, 2007), and the lowest prevalence (17.1%) was found in Shahrekord (Hoseinei et al, 2014). The overall elder abuse prevalence in Iran was 56.4% with confidence interval 95% (35.1-75.5%). Conclusion The overall elder abuse prevalence in Iran is much more than that reported by foreign studies. This difference could be related to small sample size and culture variety in the various communities. The prevalence of elder abuse in Iran is much more than that in the world. A B S T R A C T Keywords:Elderly Maltreatment, Prevalence, Meta-analysis, IranReceived: 07 Jan. 2017Accepted: 18 Apr. 2017 Extended Abstract Objectivesith the advancement of medical science, improvement in nutrition quality, and prevention of many diseases over the past few decades, the length of human life has increased. Currently, a significant portion of the population of many countries constitutes the elderly. But, according to some sociologists and health professionals, societies are increasingly facing elderly maltreatment, which includes physical, sexual, psychological and emotional abuse; negligence; abandonment; and financial exploitation [1]. In Iran, according to the letter of approval of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 3478C527330 on 04.14.2004 concerning taking necessary measures to prevent the use of violence against the elderly in the family and society, no steps have been yet taken to determine the extent of this problem [2]. Therefore, the purpose of this study is integrating different studies conducted in Iran and achieving a common outcome from the breadth of the problem, i.e., the general prevalence of elderly maltreatment. Methods & MaterialsThis study was conducted using systematic review and meta-analysis in which 55 articles concerning elderly maltreatment in Iran from 2005 to 2015 in SID, Google scholar, Magiran, Iranmedex, Pubmed were gathered. Words such as elderly maltreatment or "mistreatment" or "neglect" and the "prevalence" were considered as keywords for searching articles. Inclusion criteria for the study were articles that discuss the prevalence of the elderly maltreatment, studies on the prevalence of elderly maltreatment in people aged 60-65 or older than 65, studies in Persian or English, studies used cross-sectional method, articles that had the same definition of the elderly maltreatment, articles conducted from 2005 ...

The Impact of Abuse on the Quality of Life of the Elderly: A Population-based Survey in Iran

“…However, the prevalence of this problem in the family setting was approximately 25%, while in the institutional setting it was between 11% and 24% [6]. A study in Iran found that the overall prevalence of elder abuse was 56.4%, and its highest and lowest prevalence rates were reported in Tehran (87.8%) and Shahrekord (17.1%) Provinces, respectively [16]. Manouchehri et al [17] revealed that 84.4% of elderly people visiting the parks of Tehran (in Iran) had experienced a form of emotional abuse.…”

“…In addition, Yon et al [7] reported that psychological abuse, financial abuse, neglect, physical abuse, and sexual abuse were the most common types of elder abuse, respectively, while physical, social, emotional, financial, and sexual abuse, along with the violation of personal rights and neglect, were the most common types of elder abuse, respectively, in the present study. In a meta-analysis, Molaei et al [16] found that emotional abuse was the most frequent type of elder abuse, although discrepancies exist in the included studies. They further reported the prevalence of different types of abuse of older adults as follows: neglect (4.5-68.0%), mental abuse (12.4-59.8%), financial mismanagement (5.8-40.0%), physical misconduct (2.8-35.9%), and isolation (3.7-23.0%).…”

The Relationship between Nurses’ Recognition Regarding Elder Abuse and their Attitudes and Performance in Dealing with Elder Abuse Induced by Iranian Family Caregivers

“…Available data suggest that the overall elder abuse prevalence in Iran is 56.4% with confidence interval 95% (35.1-75.5%) [21]. It is concluded; Iranian's nurses encounter with and take care of elderly patients who have experience abuse.…”

Structural Equation Model of affecting factors on elder abuse to patients under hemodialysis by family caregivers

“…It includes 57 items and 7 subscales including psychological misbehavior (6items), authority deprivation (7items) physical misbehaviours (2 items), nancial misbehaviours (11 items), being abandoned (4 items), caring neglect (8 items) and emotional misbehavior (19 items). The tool is scored through a 4 point likert scale with the options of never (1), sometimes (2), often (3) and always (4). Scores range between 1 to 228.…”