Abstract
Aim:: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of elder abuse in a rural setting. In addition, the study aimed to evaluate the association of elder abuse with psychiatric morbidity and demographic factors. Methodology:: A total of 125 elderly (age 55 years) were evaluated for psychiatric diagnosis as per the International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10) criteria by the qualified psychiatrist and were evaluated on Vulnerability to Abuse Screening Scale for elder abuse. Results:: More than half (58.4%) of the participants had one psychiatric disorder, with depression being the most common. Elder abuse was seen in more than one-third (41.6%) of the study participants. Those with psychiatric morbidity had significantly higher prevalence of abuse. None of the demographic factors was associated with abuse. Conclusion:: Elder abuse is highly prevalent in rural setting, especially among those with psychiatric morbidity. Implications:: Considering the high prevalence of elder abuse, there is an urgent need to address the problem. Public awareness, education, and sensitization of people toward the abuse are need of the day.
Copyright
Association for Helping Neurosurgical Sick People. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Derivative-Non Commercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit.
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This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives License, which permits unrestricted reproduction and distribution, for non-commercial purposes only; and use and reproduction, but not distribution, of adapted material for non-commercial purposes only, provided the original work is properly cited.
