Violence against the elderly in the home environment: prevalence and associated factors (Recife, State of Pernambuco)

• Published in: Ciência & saude coletiva Vol. 17; no. 8; pp. 2199 - 2208
• Main Authors: Duque, Andrezza Marques, Leal, Márcia Carrera Campos, Marques, Ana Paula de Oliveira, Eskinazi, Fernanda Maria Vieira, Duque, Amanda Marques
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Portuguese
• Published: Brazil 01.08.2012
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Associations; Brazil; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dependents; Elder Abuse - statistics & numerical data; Family; Family Violence; Female; Females; Home Environment; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Old age; Prevalence; Questionnaires; Rating; Risk Factors; Violence; Women; Brazil
• ISSN: 1413-8123; 1678-4561
• DOI: 10.1590/S1413-81232012000800030

The scope of this paper was to determine the prevalence and factors associated with domestic violence against the elderly. It is a cross-sectional study with 274 subjects, aged 60 years or more, of both sexes. Data were collected through interviews at home or in the USF based on a script structured in three parts: questionnaire with socio-demographic and bio-demographic information, two rating scales and a tool for identifying abuse. Among the respondents, 20.8% reported having experienced at least one type of violence in their home environment. An association was revealed between those living with a greater number of individuals, among women and elderly people who are dependent for day-to-day activities. After applying the logistic regression model, only the variables of sex and family configuration were significantly associated, with evidence of greater frequency among those who lived with six or more residents and women. These findings highlight the magnitude and seriousness of the problem and point to the need for action to combat violence against the elderly.