The Risk of Suffering Violence by the Elderly People: The Power of Cognitive Functioning and Loneliness Through the Analysis of the Gamma Model
Main Article Content
Abstract
Objective: The elderly people has been increasing and the danger of elderly people suffering violence also tends to grow. When the elderly people have cognitive weaknesses, are alone and helpless, the probability of suffering violence is very high. The main objective of this study is to analyze whether cognitive functioning, the loneliness felt by the elderly people and their affects can predict the risk of suffering violence.
Methods: The number of participants in this study was 101 of both genders, with ages ranging between 65 and 94 years. The instruments applied were a sociodemographic questionnaire, Arvini Range Test, the University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale, the Mini Mental State Examination and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule.
Results: The results showed that after eliminating potentially influential observations, the adjusted model revealed that cognitive functioning and loneliness are predictors of the risk of suffering violence by the elderly people.
Conclusion: It is important to consider that the presence of subjective feelings of loneliness and how the elderly’s brains cognitively work can be considered risk factors for violence against them. These variables must be taken into account in the preparation of caregivers and nursing homes so that violence against the elderly people can be prevented.
Keywords:
risk of suffering violence, elderly people, cognitive functioning, loneliness, effects
Article Details
How to Cite
SERRA, Lídia; PARREIRA, Verónica; SILVA, Luís.
The Risk of Suffering Violence by the Elderly People: The Power of Cognitive Functioning and Loneliness Through the Analysis of the Gamma Model.
Medical Research Archives, [S.l.], v. 10, n. 9, sep. 2022.
ISSN 2375-1924.
Available at: <https://esmed.org/MRA/mra/article/view/3115>. Date accessed: 25 apr. 2024.
doi: https://doi.org/10.18103/mra.v10i9.3115.
Section
Research Articles
The Medical Research Archives grants authors the right to publish and reproduce the unrevised contribution in whole or in part at any time and in any form for any scholarly non-commercial purpose with the condition that all publications of the contribution include a full citation to the journal as published by the Medical Research Archives.
References
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12. Ghorbani F, Khosravani V, Bastan F, Ardakani R. The alexithymia, emotion regulation, emotion regulation difficulties, positive and negative affects, and suicidal risk in alcohol-dependent outpatients. Psychiatry Res. 2017; 252, 223-230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2017.03.005
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18. Serra L, Contador I, Fernández-Calvo B, Ruisoto P, Jenaro C, Flores N, Ramos F, Rivera-Navarro J. Resilience and social support as protective factors against abuse of patients with dementia: A study on family caregivers. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2018; 33(8), 1132-1138. https://doi. org/10.1002/gps.4905
19. Wang, J. Psychological abuse behavior exhibited by caregivers in the care of the elderly and correlated factors in long-term care facilities in Taiwan. J Nurs Res. 2005; 13(4), 271-80.
20. Mendes F, Pereira J, Mestre T, Gemito L, Zangão O, Chora M. Risk of violence against elderly people. Arvini Range Test. RIASE. 2019; 5(1), 1641-1662.
21. Pocinho M, Farate C, Dias C A. Validação psicométrica da escala UCLA-Loneliness para idosos portugueses. Interações: Sociedade e as novas modernidades. 2010; 10(18), 65-77.
22. Guerreiro M, Silva A P, Botelho M A, Leitão O, Castro-Caldas A, Garcia C. Adaptação à população portuguesa da tradução do Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). Revista Portuguesa de Neurologia. 1994; 1(9), 9-10.
23. Galinha I O, Ribeiro J. Contribuição para o estudo da versão portuguesa da Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS): II – Estudo psicométrico. Análise Psicológica. 2005; 2 (XXIII), 219-227.
24. Bogliacino F, Grimalda G, Ortoleva P, Ring P. Exposure to and recall of violence reduce short-term memory and cognitive control. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2017; 114(32), 8505-8510.
25. Nosek M, Foley C, Hughes R, Howland C. Vulnerabilities for Abuse Among Women with Disabilities. Sex Disabil. 2001; 19(3), 177-189.
26. Kishimoto Y, Terada S, Takeda N, Oshima E, Honda H, Yoshida H, Yokota O, Uchitomi Y. Abuse of people with cognitive impairment by family caregivers in Japan (a cross-sectional study). Psychiatry Res. 2013; 209(3), 699-704. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2013.01.025
27. Dong X, Beck T, Simon M. A. Loneliness and mistreatment of olderChinesewomen:Does social supportmatter? J Women Aging. 2009; 21(4), 293-302. https://doi.org/10.1080/08952840903285252
28. Finlay J M. Kobayashi L C. Social isolation and loneliness in later life: a parallel convergent mixed-methods case study of older adults and their residential contexts in the Minneapolis metropolitan area, USA. Soc Sci Med. 2018; 208, 25-33.
29. Dong X, Simon M A, Gorbien M, Percak J, Golden R. Loneliness in Older Chinese Adults: A Risk Factor for Elder Mistreatment. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2007; 55(11), 1831-1835. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2007.01429.x
30. Cooper C, Katona C, Soveri H, Topinkova E, Cerpenter I, Livingston G. Indicators of Elder Abuse: A Crossnational Comparison of Psychiatric Morbidity and Other Determinants in the Ad-HOC Study. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2006; 14(6), 489-497.
31. Boserup B, McKenney M, Elkbuli A. Alarming trends in US domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. Am J Emerg Med. 2020; 38(12), 2753-2755.
32. Chang M, Becca R. High prevalence of elder abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic: risk and resilience factors. Am J Geriatri Psychiatry. 2021; 29(11), 1152-1159.
2. Natan M, Lowenstein A, Eisikovits Z. Psycho-social factors affecting elders’ maltreatment in long-term care facilities. INR. 2010; 57(1): 113-120. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1466-7657.2009.00771.x
3. Pillemer K A. Maltreatment of patients in nursing homes: Overview and research agenda. J Health Soc Behav. 1988; 29(3): 227-238. https://doi.org/10.2307/2137034
4. Brandão B, Santos R, Monteiro G, Carneiro A, Medeiros F, Souto R. Risk of violence and functional capacity of hospitalized elderly: a cross-sectional study. Rev Esc Enferm USP. 2021; 55: e20200528. https://doi.org/10.1590/1980-220X-REEUSP-2020-0528
5. Tung E, Hawkley L, Cagney K, Peek M. Social Isolation, Loneliness, And Violence Exposure In Urban Adults. Health Affairs. 2019; 38(19): https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2019.00563
6. Lauder W, Mummery K, Jones M, Caperchione C. A comparison of health behaviours in lonely and nonlonely populations. Psychol, Health Med. 2006; 11(2): 233-245. https://doi.org/10.1080/13548500500266607
7. Lima C, Leo D, Ivbijaro G, Svab I. Loneliness and abuse as risk factors for suicide in older adults: new developments and the contribution of the WPA section on old age psychiatry. World Psychiatry. 2021; 20(3): 455-456. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20899
8. Shugarman L R, Fries B E, Wolf R S, Morris J N. Identifying Older People at Risk of Abuse During Routine Screening Practices. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2003; 51(1): 24-31. https://doi.org/10.1034/j.1601-5215.2002.51005.x.
9. Bhavsar V, Bhugra D. Violence towards people with mental illness: assessment, risk factors, and management. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2018; 72(11): 811-820. https://doi.org/10.1111/pcn.12775.
10. Krnjacki L, Emerson E, Llewellyn G, Kavanagh A. Prevalence and risk of violence against people with and without disabilities: findings from an Australian population-based study. Aust N Z J Public Health. 2016; 40(1): 16-21. https://doi.org/10.1111/1753-6405.12498
11. Conner T, Prokhorov A, Page C, Fang Y, Xiao Y, Post L. Impairment and abuse of elderly by staff in long-term care in Michigan: evidence from structural equation modeling. J Interpers Violence. 2010; 26(1), 21-33. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260510362880
12. Ghorbani F, Khosravani V, Bastan F, Ardakani R. The alexithymia, emotion regulation, emotion regulation difficulties, positive and negative affects, and suicidal risk in alcohol-dependent outpatients. Psychiatry Res. 2017; 252, 223-230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2017.03.005
13. Watson D, Clark L, Tellegen A. Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: the PANAS scales. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1988; 54(6), 1063-1070. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.54.6.1063
14. Diener, E. Subjective well-being. Psychol Bull. 1984; 95, 542-575.
15. Paula F, Silva M, Peixoto M, Morais L, Braga M. Granparents and grandchildren in the centuy: autoritary, affection and fear. Rev Rene. 2011; 12, 913-921.
16. Alcalá V, Camacho M, Giner J. Afectos y depresión en la tercera edad. Psicothema. 2007; 19(1), 49-56.
17. Cations M, Keage H, Laver K, Byles J, Loxton D. Impact of Historical Intimate Partner Violence on Wellbeing and Risk for Elder Abuse in Older Women. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2021; 29(9), 930-940. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2020.12.026.
18. Serra L, Contador I, Fernández-Calvo B, Ruisoto P, Jenaro C, Flores N, Ramos F, Rivera-Navarro J. Resilience and social support as protective factors against abuse of patients with dementia: A study on family caregivers. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2018; 33(8), 1132-1138. https://doi. org/10.1002/gps.4905
19. Wang, J. Psychological abuse behavior exhibited by caregivers in the care of the elderly and correlated factors in long-term care facilities in Taiwan. J Nurs Res. 2005; 13(4), 271-80.
20. Mendes F, Pereira J, Mestre T, Gemito L, Zangão O, Chora M. Risk of violence against elderly people. Arvini Range Test. RIASE. 2019; 5(1), 1641-1662.
21. Pocinho M, Farate C, Dias C A. Validação psicométrica da escala UCLA-Loneliness para idosos portugueses. Interações: Sociedade e as novas modernidades. 2010; 10(18), 65-77.
22. Guerreiro M, Silva A P, Botelho M A, Leitão O, Castro-Caldas A, Garcia C. Adaptação à população portuguesa da tradução do Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). Revista Portuguesa de Neurologia. 1994; 1(9), 9-10.
23. Galinha I O, Ribeiro J. Contribuição para o estudo da versão portuguesa da Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS): II – Estudo psicométrico. Análise Psicológica. 2005; 2 (XXIII), 219-227.
24. Bogliacino F, Grimalda G, Ortoleva P, Ring P. Exposure to and recall of violence reduce short-term memory and cognitive control. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2017; 114(32), 8505-8510.
25. Nosek M, Foley C, Hughes R, Howland C. Vulnerabilities for Abuse Among Women with Disabilities. Sex Disabil. 2001; 19(3), 177-189.
26. Kishimoto Y, Terada S, Takeda N, Oshima E, Honda H, Yoshida H, Yokota O, Uchitomi Y. Abuse of people with cognitive impairment by family caregivers in Japan (a cross-sectional study). Psychiatry Res. 2013; 209(3), 699-704. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2013.01.025
27. Dong X, Beck T, Simon M. A. Loneliness and mistreatment of olderChinesewomen:Does social supportmatter? J Women Aging. 2009; 21(4), 293-302. https://doi.org/10.1080/08952840903285252
28. Finlay J M. Kobayashi L C. Social isolation and loneliness in later life: a parallel convergent mixed-methods case study of older adults and their residential contexts in the Minneapolis metropolitan area, USA. Soc Sci Med. 2018; 208, 25-33.
29. Dong X, Simon M A, Gorbien M, Percak J, Golden R. Loneliness in Older Chinese Adults: A Risk Factor for Elder Mistreatment. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2007; 55(11), 1831-1835. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1532-5415.2007.01429.x
30. Cooper C, Katona C, Soveri H, Topinkova E, Cerpenter I, Livingston G. Indicators of Elder Abuse: A Crossnational Comparison of Psychiatric Morbidity and Other Determinants in the Ad-HOC Study. Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2006; 14(6), 489-497.
31. Boserup B, McKenney M, Elkbuli A. Alarming trends in US domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. Am J Emerg Med. 2020; 38(12), 2753-2755.
32. Chang M, Becca R. High prevalence of elder abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic: risk and resilience factors. Am J Geriatri Psychiatry. 2021; 29(11), 1152-1159.