Resident-to-Resident Abuse: A Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Criminology

Background:

• Resident-to-resident abuse, characterized by aggression and violence between long-term care (LTC) residents, poses serious risks.
• The prevalence and scope of this issue in Canada remain under-examined.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and understand resident-to-resident abuse in Canadian LTC homes.
• To analyze existing data on the incidence of this abuse.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive scoping review was conducted using nine electronic literature databases.
• A redacted Canadian dataset on resident-to-resident abuse was analyzed.
• Inclusion criteria were applied to 784 initially identified abstracts, resulting in 32 qualifying records.

Main Results:

• Only 14 of the 32 included records focused exclusively on resident-to-resident abuse.
• Retrospective case studies, qualitative studies, and reviews/commentaries constituted the majority (75%) of the relevant literature.
• The Canadian dataset indicated that resident-to-resident abuse accounts for approximately one-third of all reported abuse cases.

Conclusions:

• Resident-to-resident abuse is a substantial problem within Canadian LTC facilities.
• Recommendations are provided for future research, clinical practice, and policy development to mitigate this issue.
• Increased awareness and targeted interventions are crucial to reduce the incidence of resident-to-resident abuse.