Professionals’ Awareness of Sexual Abuse in Late Life: An Exploratory Survey

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The sexual abuse phenomenon is considered taboo. It has been discussed, to date, mainly in relation to children and young women, with insufficient attention to sexual abuse in a late-life context. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this survey was to explore professionals’ awareness of elder sexual abuse (ESA). DESIGN: The survey was conducted among 161 Jewish and Arab professionals from health care and social services, who worked with older adults in Israel. RESULTS: Of the entire sample, 70 professionals (only 43%) reported encountering at least one to three cases of ESA. A total of 98% of the victims were women, and the primary offender was the spouse (75%). In most cases (70%), the victim reported the abuse, which was mainly sexual assault (64%). All participants (100%) noted taking action. CONCLUSION: This exploratory survey indicates that professionals are partially aware of the existence of and the need to address the ESA phenomenon.

Keywords

awareness elder abuse elder mistreatment elder sexual abuse intimate partner violence older adults survey

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Abramsky

Watts

C. H.

Garcia-Moreno

Devries

Kiss

Ellsberg

. . . Heise

(2011). What factors are associated with recent intimate partner violence? Findings from the WHO multi-country study on women’s health and domestic violence. BMC Public Health, 11(1), 109.

Baker

P. R. A.

Francis

D. P.

Hairi

N. N.

Othman

Choo

W. Y.

(2016). Interventions for preventing abuse in the elderly. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (8), CD010321. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD010321.pub2

Bennice

J. A.

Resick

P. A.

(2003). Marital rape: History, research, and practice. Trauma, Violence, and Abuse, 4, 228-246.

Bledsoe

(2006). Criminal offenders residing in long-term care facilities. Journal of Forensic Nursing, 2, 142-146.

Burgess

A. W.

Clements

P. T.

(2006). Information processing of sexual abuse in elders. Journal of Forensic Nursing, 2, 113-120.

Burgess

A. W.

Phillips

S. L.

(2006). Sexual abuse and dementia in older people. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 54, 1154-1155.

Burgess

Ramsey-Klawsnik

Gregorian

(2008). Comparing routes of reporting in elder sexual abuse cases. Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect, 20, 336-352.

Capaldi

D. M.

Knoble

N. B.

Wu Shortt

Kim

H. K.

(2012). A systematic review of risk factors for intimate partner violence. Partner Abuse, 3, 231-280.

Dillon

Hussain

Loxton

Rahman

(2013). Mental and physical health and intimate partner violence against women: A review of the literature. Internal Journal of Family Medicine, 2013, 313909. doi:10.1155/2013/313909

10.

Easteal

McOrmond-Plummer

(2006). Real rape real pain: Help for women sexually assaulted by male partners. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia: Hybrid.

11.

Eckert

Sugar

(2008). Older victims of sexual assault: An underrecognized population. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, 198, 688.e1-688.e7.

12.

Felson

R. B.

Cundiff

P. R.

(2014). Sexual assault as a crime against young people. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 43, 273-284.

13.

Fileborn

(2016). Sexual assault and justice for older women: A critical review of the literature. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse. Advance online publication. doi:1524838016641666

14.

Fisher

B. S.

Regan

(2011). The extent and frequency of abuse in the lives of older women and their relationship with health outcomes. The Gerontologist, 46, 200-209.

15.

Friedman

M. S.

Marshal

M. P.

Guadamuz

T. E.

Wei

Wong

C. F.

Saewyc

E. M.

Stall

(2011). A meta-analysis of disparities in childhood sexual abuse, parental physical abuse, and peer victimization among sexual minority and sexual nonminority individuals. American Journal of Public Health, 101, 1481-1494.

16.

Garcia-Moreno

Jansen

H. A.

Ellsberg

Heise

Watts

C. H.

(2006). Prevalence of intimate partner violence: Findings from the WHO multi-country study on women’s health and domestic violence. The Lancet, 368, 1260-1269.

17.

Hart-Johnson

Green

C. R.

(2012). The impact of sexual or physical abuse history on pain-related outcomes among Blacks and Whites with chronic pain: Gender influence. Pain Medicine, 13, 229-242.

18.

Herman

J. L.

(2008). Trauma and recovery. New York, NY: Basic Books.

19.

Higgins

Zheng

Liu

Sun

C. H.

(2002). Attitudes to marriage and sexual behaviors: A survey of gender and culture differences in China and United Kingdom. Sex Roles, 46(3), 75-89.

20.

Iversen

M. H.

Kilvik

Malmedal

(2015). Sexual abuse of older residents in nursing homes: A focus group interview of nursing home staff. Nursing Research and Practice, 2015, 716407. Retrieved from doi:10.1155/2015/716407

21.

Jewkes

Sen

Garcia-Moreno

(2002). Sexual violence. In Krug

E. G.

Dahlberg

L. L.

Mercy

J. A.

Zwi

A. B.

Lozano

(Eds.), World health report of violence and health (pp. 147-181). Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization.

22.

Lea

Hunt

Shaw

(2011). Sexual assault of older women by strangers. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 26, 2303-2320.

23.

Leserman

(2005). Sexual abuse history: Prevalence, health effects, mediator, and psychological treatment. Psychosomatic Medicine, 67, 906-915.

24.

Ligiéro

D. P.

Fassinger

McCauley

Moore

Lyytinen

(2009). Childhood sexual abuse, culture, and coping: A qualitative study of Latinas. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 33, 67-80.

25.

Lin

Epel

Blackburn

(2012). Telomeres and lifestyle factors: Roles in cellular aging. Mutation Research/Fundamental and Molecular Mechanisms of Mutagenesis, 730(1), 85-89.

26.

Malmedal

Iversen

Kilvik

(2015). Sexual abuse of older nursing home residents: A literature review. Nursing Research and Practice, 2015, 902515. doi:10.1155/2015/902515

27.

Masho

S. W.

Odor

R. K.

Adera

(2005). Sexual assault in Virginia: A population-based study. Women’s Health Issues, 15, 157-166.

28.

McClellan

A. C.

Killeen

M. R.

(2000). Attachment theory and violence toward women by male intimate partners. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 32, 353-360.

29.

Monson

C. M.

Langhinrichsen-Rohling

Taft

C. T.

(2009). Sexual aggression in intimate relationship. In O’Leary

K. D.

Woodin

E. M.

(Eds.), Psychological and physical aggression in couples: Causes and intervention (pp. 37-57). Washington DC: American Psychological Association.

30.

National Center on Elder Abuse. (2006). Fact sheet: Abuse of adults aged 60+: 2004 Survey of Adult Protective Services. Washington, DC: Author.

31.

Ogloff

J. R.

Cutajar

M. C.

Mann

Mullen

Wei

F. T. Y.

Hassan

H. A. B.

Yih

T. H.

(2012). Child sexual abuse and subsequent offending and victimisation: A 45 year follow-up study. Trends & Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, 440, 1-6.

32.

Osgood

N. J.

Manetta

A. A.

(2003). Physical and sexual abuse, battering and substance abuse. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 38(3), 99-112.

33.

Pillemer

Burnes

Riffin

Lachs

(2016). Elder abuse: Global situation, risk factors, and prevention strategies. The Gerontologist, 56, 194-205.

34.

Pillemer

Finkelhor

(1989). Causes of elder abuse: Caregiver stress versus problem relatives. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 59, 179-187.

35.

Poulos

C. A.

Sheridan

D. J.

(2008). Genital injuries in postmenopausal women after sexual assault. Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect, 20, 323-335.

36.

Ramsey-Klawsnik

(2004). Elder sexual abuse within the family. Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect, 15(1), 43-58.

37.

Ramsey-Klawsnik

Teaster

P. B.

Mendiondo

M. S.

Abner

E. L.

Cecil

K. A.

Tooms

M. A.

(2007). Sexual abuse of vulnerable adults in care facilities: Clinical findings and a research initiative. Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, 12, 332-339.

38.

Ramsey-Klawsnik

Teaster

P. B.

Mendiondo

M. S.

Marcum

J. L.

Abner

E. L.

(2008). Sexual predators who target elders: Findings from the first national study of sexual abuse in care facilities. Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect, 20, 353-376.

39.

Rosay

A. B.

Mulford

C. F.

(2017). Prevalence estimates and correlates of elder abuse in the United States: The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey. Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect, 29, 1-14.

40.

Rosen

Lachs

M. S.

Pillemer

(2010). Sexual aggression between residents in nursing homes: Literature synthesis of an underrecognized problem. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 58, 1970-1979.

41.

Shrira

(2012). The effect of lifetime cumulative adversity on change and chronicity in depressive symptoms and quality of life in older adults. International Psychogeriatrics, 24, 1988-1997.

42.

Smith

Skinner

(2012). Observing court responses to victims of rape and sexual assault. Feminist Criminology, 7, 298-326.

43.

Sommers

M. S.

(2006). Injury as a global phenomenon of concern in nursing science. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 38, 314-320.

44.

Teaster

P. B.

Ramsey-Klawsnik

Mendiondo

M. S.

Abner

Cecil

Tooms

(2007). From behind the shadows: A profile of the sexual abuse of older men residing in nursing homes. Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect, 19(1-2), 29-45.

45.

Teaster

P. B.

Roberto

K. A.

(2004a). Chapter 7 sexual abuse of older women living in nursing homes. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 40(4), 105-119.

46.

Teaster

P. B.

Roberto

K. A.

(2004b). Sexual abuse of older adults: APS cases and outcomes. The Gerontologist, 44, 788-796.

47.

Teaster

P. B.

Roberto

K. A.

Dugar

T. A.

(2006). Intimate partner violence of rural aging women. Family Relations, 55, 636-648.

48.

Tenkorang

E. Y.

Owusu

A. Y.

Yeboah

E. H.

Bannerman

(2013). Factors influencing domestic and marital violence against women in Ghana. Journal of Family Violence, 28, 771-781.

49.

Trevillion

Agnew-Davies

Howard

(2013). Healthcare professionals’ response to domestic violence. Primary Health Care, 23(9), 34-42.

50.

VanderEnde

K. E.

Yount

K. M.

Dynes

M. M.

Sibley

L. M.

(2012). Community-level correlates of intimate partner violence against women globally: A systematic review. Social Science & Medicine, 75, 1143-1155.

51.

Wharton

T. C.

Ford

B. K.

(2014). What is known about dementia care recipient violence and aggression against caregivers? Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 57, 460-477.

52.

World Health Organization. (2013). Global and regional estimates of violence against women: Prevalence and health effects of intimate partner violence and non-partner sexual violence. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/iris/handle/10665/85239

53.

Zaatut

Haj-Yahia

M. M.

(2016). Beliefs about wife beating among Palestinian women from Israel: The effect of their endorsement of patriarchal ideology. Feminism & Psychology, 26, 405-425.