Intimate partner abuse among older women: qualitative systematic review

The purpose of this qualitative systematic review was to more fully understand intimate partner abuse (IPA) among older women and to explicate strategies for enhancing their well-being. The sample (N = 20) was assembled based on an expansive search of the peer-reviewed literature using multiple electronic databases. Qualitative findings were extracted and coded/categorized. Reflective memos were developed, and a cohesive interpretation of the raw data emerged. IPA tends to be a multigenerational problem that older women are reluctant to discuss. With age, IPA assumes different forms, and many older women actively choose to make the best of their situations. Older women cope by trying to make sense of their lives and nurturing themselves in small ways. Occasionally, events occur that enable permanent change. Nurses are encouraged to nonjudgmentally assist older women to enhance their well-being, despite IPA. They are also urged to actively intervene when opportunities for significant change arise.