Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Elder abuse among Spanish and Iranian people: new methodological approach to the same old story

  • Original Article
  • Published:
International Journal of Legal Medicine Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Elder abuse continues to be a taboo, mostly underestimated, ignored by societies across the world. Recent systematic reviews and meta-analyses have revealed significant variations in the prevalence of elder abuse, with large geographic variations. This is the first study that compares the prevalence of elder abuse and risk factors between a European and Asian countries and using the same method. Cross-sectional surveys were conducted in Spain and Iran. Eight hundred forty subjects, aged 65 and over, were chosen randomly from patients in primary care health centres. Prevalence of abuse and subtypes and risk factors were obtained using structured interviews. To minimize the potential effects of selection bias, a propensity score matching was performed. Multiple correspondence analysis was used to evaluate the possible relationships among all the variables and to identify specific profiles. Five hundred thirty-two older people remained for the analysis after matching. The prevalence of abuse was 39.1% in Spain and 80.5% in Iran. Elder abuse and its subtypes are significantly more probable in Iran than in Spain. Out of every five elderly people questioned, two in Spain and four in Iran responded affirmatively to a question concerning elder abuse. Multiple correspondence analysis allows the differences between patterns of elder abuse between both populations to be visualized. Elder abuse is a prevalent problem in Spain and Iran. While some characteristics are shared in the pattern of abuse there are different profiles between the two countries. Detecting elder abuse should be a priority objective in clinical and forensic setting.

Key points

• This is the first study that compares the prevalence of elder abuse between a European and Asian country, using the same methodology.

• Multiple correspondence analysis allows specific elder abuse profiles to be identified.

• Elder abuse is significantly more likely to occur in Iran than in Spain.

• Out of every five elderly people questioned, two in Spain and four in Iran responded affirmatively to a question concerning elder abuse

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Yunus RM, Hairi NN, Choo WY (2017) Consequences of elder abuse and neglect: a systematic review of observational studies. Trauma Violence Abuse 20:197–213. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838017692798

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Burnett J, Jackson SL, Sinha AK, Aschenbrenner AR, Murphy KP, Xia R, Diamond PM (2016) Five-year all-cause mortality rates across five categories of substantiated elder abuse occurring in the community. J Elder Abuse Negl 28:59–75. https://doi.org/10.1080/08946566.2016.1142920

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Pillemer K, Connolly MT, Breckman R, Spreng N, Lachs M (2015) Elder mistreatment: priorities for consideration by the White House Conference on Aging. Gerontologist 55:320–327. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnu180

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  4. Kydd A, Fleming A (2015) Ageism and age discrimination in health care: fact or fiction? A narrative review of the literature 2015. Maturitas 81(4):432–438. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2015.05.002

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Hajek A, Brettschneider C, Lange C, Posselt T, Wiese B, Steinmann S, Weyerer S, Werle J, Pentzek M, Fuchs A, Stein J, Luck T, Bickel H, Mösch E, Wagner M, Jessen F, Maier W, Scherer M, Riedel-Heller SG, König HH, AgeCoDe Study Group (2015) Longitudinal predictors of institutionalization in old age. PLoS One 10(12):e0144203. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0144203

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  6. Pillemer K, Burnes D, Riffin C, Lachs MS (2016) Elder abuse: global situation, risk factors, and prevention strategies. Gerontologist 56(S2):S194–S205. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnw004

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  7. Chalise HN (2017) Abuse of the elderly: a neglected issue in developing countries. J J Geronto 3:024 https://www.academia.edu/31857266/Elderly_abuse_A_Neglected_Issue_in_Developing_Countries

    Google Scholar 

  8. Dong XQ (2015) Elder abuse: systematic review and implications for practice. JAGS 63:1214–1238. https://doi.org/10.1111/jgs.13454

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Yon Y, Mikton CR, Gassoumis ZD, Wilber KH (2017) Elder abuse prevalence in community settings: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Glob Health 5:e147–e156. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-109X(17)30006-2

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Pfeiffer E (1975) A short portable mental status questionnaire for the assessment of organic brain deficit in elderly patients. J Am Geriatr Soc (AGS) 23:433–441. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.1975.tb00927.x

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Martínez de la Iglesia J, Dueñas Herrero R, Onís Vilchesa C, Aguado Taberné C, Albert Colomer CA, Luque Luque R (2001) Adaptación y validación al castellano del cuestionario de Pfeiffer (SPMSQ) para detectar la existencia de deterioro cognitivo en personas mayores de 65 años. Med Clin 117:129–134. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0025-7753(01)72040-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Adib-Hajbaghery M, Izadi-Avanji F, Akbari H (2012) Quality of sleep and its related risk factors in hospitalized older patients in Kashan’s Hospitals, Iran 2009. Iran J Nurs Midwifery Res 17:414–420 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3733285/

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  13. Dong X, Simon MA (2013) Elder abuse as a risk factor for hospitalization in older persons. JAMA Intern Med 173:911–917. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.238

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Amstadter AB, Zajac K, Strachan M, Hernandez MA, Kilpatrick DG, Acierno R (2011) Prevalence and correlates of elder mistreatment in South Carolina: the South Carolina Elder Mistreatment Study. J Interpers Violence 26:2947–2972. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260510390959

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  15. Gibss LM (2014) Understanding the medical markers of elder abuse and neglect: physical examination findings. Clin Geriatr Med 30:687–712. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cger.2014.08.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Lofasso VM, Rosen T (2014) Medical and laboratory indicators of elder abuse and neglect. Clin Geriatr Med 30:713–728. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cger.2014.08.003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Petti S (2018) Elder neglect – oral diseases and injuries. Oral Dis 24:891–899. https://doi.org/10.1111/odi.12797

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Keller E, Santos C, Cusack D, Väli M, Ferrara D, Ludes B, Mangin P, Payne-James JJ, Vieira DN (2019) European Council of Legal Medicine (ECLM) guidelines for the examination of suspected elder abuse. Int J Legal Med 133:317–322. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-018-1880-y

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Pérez-Cárceles MD, Rubio L, Pereniguez JE, Pérez-Flores D, Osuna E, Luna A (2009) Suspicion of elder abuse in South Eastern Spain: the extent and risk factors. Arch Gerontol Geriatr 49:132–137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.archger.2008.06.002

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Sekhon JS (2011) Multivariate and propensity score matching software with automated balance optimization: the matching package for R. J Stat Softw 2011. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1009044

  21. Lê S, Josse J, Husson F (2008) FactoMineR: an R package for multivariate analysis. J Stat Softw 25:1–18 http://www.jstatsoft.org/

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Husson F, Lê S, Pagès J (2011) Exploratory multivariate analysis by example using R. Chapman and Hall. CRC Press

  23. Aday RH, Wallace JB, Scott SJ (2017) Generational differences in knowledge, recognition, and perceptions of elder abuse reporting. Educ Gerontol 43:568–581. https://doi.org/10.1080/03601277.2017.1376382

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Schofield MJ (2017) Screening for elder abuse: tools and effectiveness. In: Dong X (ed) Elder Abuse. Springer, Cham, pp 161–199

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  25. Fraga S, Lindert J, Barros H, Torres-González F, Ioannidi-Kapolou E, Melchiorre MG, Stankunas M, Soares JF (2014) Elder abuse and socioeconomic inequalities: a multilevel study in 7 European countries. Prev Med 61:42–47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2014.01.008

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Alizadeh-Khoei M, Sharifi F, Hossain SZ, Fakhrzadeh H, Salimi Z (2014) Elder abuse: risk factors of abuse in elderly community-dwelling Iranians. Educ Gerontol 40:543–554. https://doi.org/10.1080/03601277.2013.857995

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Oveisi S, Karimi R, Mahram M (2014) Note from Iran: self-reported elder abuse in Qazvin, 2012. J Elder Abuse Negl 26:337–340. https://doi.org/10.1080/08946566.2014.883947

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Yan E, Chan KL, Tiwari A (2015) A systematic review of prevalence and risk factors for elder abuse in Asia. Trauma Violence Abuse 16:199–219. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838014555033

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Abdi A, Tarjoman A, Borji M (2019) Prevalence of elder abuse in Iran: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Asian J Psychiatr 39:120–127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2018.12.005

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. WHO (2010) Global status report on noncommunicable diseases. Geneva: WHO, 2011

  31. Gaziano TA, Bitton A, Anand S, Abrahams-Gessel S, Murphy A (2010) Growing epidemic of coronary heart disease in low- and middle-income countries. Curr Probl Cardiol 35(2):72–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpcardiol.2009.10.002

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  32. Sarrafzadegan N, Talaei M, Sadeghi M, Kelishadi R, Oveisgharan S, Mohammadifard N, Sajjadieh AR, Kabiri P, Marshall T, Thomas GN, Tavasoliet A (2011) The Isfahan cohort study: rationale, methods and main findings. J Hum Hypertens 25(9):545–553. https://doi.org/10.1038/jhh.2010.99

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Garre-Olmo J, Planas-Pujol X, Lopez-Pousa S, Juvinya D, Vilà A, Vilalta-Franch J, Frailty and dependence in Girona Study Group (2009) Prevalence and risk factors of suspected elder abuse subtypes in people aged 75 and older. J Am Geriatr Soc 57:815–822. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2009.02221.x

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all the elderly people from Iran and Spain who shared with us their difficult and painful experiences, but who wished to participate in the study knowing that its dissemination, along with other investigations around the world, will help raise awareness of the problem among young people who, tomorrow, will be elderly themselves.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Vahid Farnia and Maria D. Perez-Carceles contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Substance Abuse Prevention Research Centre, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran

    Vahid Farnia & Senobar Golshani

  2. Iranian National Center for Addiction Studies (INCAS), Iranian Institute for Reduction of High-Risk Behaviors, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Hafez Bajoghli & Jalal Shakeri

  3. Department of Didactics of Mathematical and Social Sciences, University of Murcia, E-30100, Murcia, Spain

    Antonio Maurandi-López

  4. Primary Care Management, Murcia Health Service, E-30100 Espinardo, Murcia, Spain

    Luis Rubio

  5. Institute of Research into Aging, Department of Legal and Forensic Medicine, Biomedical Research Institute (IMIB-Arrixaca), Regional Campus of International Excellence “Campus Mare Nostrum”, School of Medicine, University of Murcia, E-30100, Murcia, Spain

    Maria D. Perez-Carceles

Authors
  1. Vahid Farnia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Hafez Bajoghli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Senobar Golshani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jalal Shakeri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Antonio Maurandi-López
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Luis Rubio
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Maria D. Perez-Carceles
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Maria D. Perez-Carceles.

Ethics declarations

This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Murcia University (Spain) (approval ID 2048/2018) and by Research Ethics Committee Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (approval ID: IR.KUMS.REC.1399.606).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Farnia, V., Bajoghli, H., Golshani, S. et al. Elder abuse among Spanish and Iranian people: new methodological approach to the same old story. Int J Legal Med 135, 1515–1524 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-020-02475-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-020-02475-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation