Elderly Abuse: Psychological mistreatment is often predominant in cases of domestic violence involving the elderly

The Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP) has released a study that sheds light on a concerning issue: domestic violence against older adults. The study, published in the Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect, analysed reports of domestic violence to authorities in the Porto district over a 10-year period (2010-2020).

One of the key findings of the study is that the majority of victims are women, aged 65 to 70. The alleged perpetrators in these cases are often sons, daughters-in-law, or sons-in-law. The researchers found that psychological and emotional violence represents nearly 78% of domestic violence cases against older adults.

Sofia Frazao, one of the researchers involved in the study, argued for the importance of community interventions to better identify associated factors in domestic violence against older adults. She suggested the creation of a public integrated system in Portugal to ensure effective and humane intervention in these cases.

Frazao also proposed the creation of a protection commission for older and more vulnerable people, further training and research in this area, and the importance of community policing. She expressed serious concern about the vulnerability of the affected individuals and their reluctance or inability to report the abuse.

Teresa Magalhaes and Paulo Vieira-Pinto, professors at FMUP, also participated in this study. They identified underreporting as having various explanations, including physical and cognitive limitations, fear and shame, and reluctance among professionals to diagnose and report suspicions.

The researchers appealed to healthcare professionals, particularly family doctors, suggesting the creation of protocols for a more accurate assessment of these cases. They noted that a quarter of domestic violence cases against older adults in the study had a history of previous incidents.

The study suggests that the percentage of older adults involved in these cases (6.8%) is likely lower than the actual number, indicating a low number of reports by victims and denunciations by others. This underscores the need for increased awareness and reporting of domestic violence against older adults.

The lead author of the study expressed concern about the issue but was not named in the provided search results. The study was led by researchers from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto (FMUP) and was published in the Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect.