Examining barriers to self-reporting of elder physical abuse in community-dwelling older adults

One out of 10 older adults experiences elder abuse in their lifetime, though less than one third of these cases ever get reported. The purpose of this study was to describe older adults' perceptions of physical abuse (PA) as a type of elder abuse including reasons why they may or may not self-report. An author developed vignette scale was used to present three types of PA and three barriers to reporting for each of three living situations. Older adults (n = 76) rated perceptions of whether or not the situation is abusive, likelihood of reporting and likelihood of reporting when presented with each of three barriers. The study participants had a consistent perception of PA; however the barriers affected their likelihood of reporting, which varied across types and situations. The results provide further evidence that reporting abuse is multifactorial and have implications for educational interventions.