Risk and protective factors for elder abuse in Canada: findings from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging

Date and Time: Oct 25, 2023 12:00 PM

The development of effective elder abuse prevention efforts requires a sound understanding of the risk and protective factors that increase or decrease the likelihood of victimization. Extending previous research, the current study used data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging – a population-based cohort study – to identify elder abuse risk and protective factors. We used baseline (2015) characteristics or changes in characteristics over a three-year period to predict the prevalence and severity of both overall elder abuse and separate subtypes (emotional abuse, physical abuse, financial abuse) at follow-up (2018). Findings indicate that elder abuse is widespread: one out of every ten older adults reports experiencing some type of elder abuse each year. Abuse disproportionately impacts older adults living with or developing vulnerabilities over time related to physical health, functional capacity, cognitive capacity, and/or mental health. On the other hand, various forms of social support serve to protect older adults from elder abuse, including engagement with in-person or online social networks. Findings also point to a life course component: respondents reporting experiences of childhood maltreatment were more likely to report elder abuse in older adulthood. Findings can be used to help inform urgently needed prevention efforts.

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