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Violence against old people – a review of the literature

Marta Makara‑Studzińska1, Katarzyna Sosnowska2

Affiliacja i adres do korespondencji
PSYCHIATR. PSYCHOL. KLIN. 2012, 12 (1), p. 57-61
Streszczenie

The authors reviewed available literature on the phenomenon of the elderly people abuse. In connection with ongoing worldwide demographic changes, a rapid growth of the population aged 60 years and more is noted. Such trends will continue, which gives rise to a gradual increase in the number of cases of abused seniors. The article presents definitions of violence against elderly people, with a special emphasis on the symptoms that may suggest abuse. Furthermore, we specified the articles that focus on the assessment of individual risk factors that may increase the occurrence of aggressive behaviour towards seniors. We also focused on analysis of available literature on the prevalence of violence against the elderly, both in Poland and worldwide. Analysis of the data from countries with different structural and cultural conditions clearly confirms the presence of this phenomenon everywhere, although it appears to varying extent. Research results depend on many factors, including the applied research methodology and measurement tools, the accepted definition of violence and sources of information. Worth noting are underestimated statistics which may be due to senior citizens’ reluctance to disclose abuses. In view of the multidimensional nature of the issue, it is important to introduce further system solutions in order to reduce the incidence of elderly people abuse and more effectively detect and resolve the problem, which still constitutes, especially in our country, a taboo subject.

Słowa kluczowe
elderly people abuse, violence, prevalence, old age, risk factors, mistreatment