Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 10, 2026
06:58
Highlighting and Reducing the Impact of Negative Aging Stereotypes During Older Adults' Cognitive Testing
Published on: January 24, 2020
7.7K
Mental Health Outcomes Associated with Elder Abuse: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Boye Fang1,2, Weiyan Ye1, Qi Zhang1
1School of Sociology& Anthropology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Trauma, Violence & Abuse
|November 28, 2025
Summary
Elder abuse significantly increases the risk of adverse mental health outcomes in older adults. This systematic review highlights the urgent need for interventions to protect seniors from abuse and its psychological consequences.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Psychiatry
- Public Health
Background:
- Elder abuse is a significant public health issue with known links to negative mental health.
- Quantitative data on the extent of these mental health consequences remain limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of quantitative studies.
- To estimate the risk of adverse mental health outcomes associated with elder abuse in adults aged 60 and older.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive literature search across major databases (Web of Science, PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, Scopus) up to January 2024.
- Inclusion of 23 peer-reviewed quantitative studies with 73 effect sizes.
- Meta-analysis to calculate pooled odds ratios for various mental health outcomes.
Main Results:
- Older adults experiencing abuse had a significantly higher risk of adverse mental health outcomes (OR=2.524).
- Specific risks included depression (OR=2.833), anxiety (OR=2.495), suicidal ideation (OR=2.249), and sleep problems (OR=2.368).
- Adjustments for publication bias and sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of findings.
Conclusions:
- This is the first quantitative synthesis demonstrating a strong association between elder abuse and adverse mental health.
- Findings underscore the critical need for targeted interventions and policies to prevent elder abuse and mitigate its mental health impact.
- Results are primarily generalizable to community-dwelling older adults.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Stress and Mental Health
576
Chronic stress profoundly affects mental health, significantly influencing mood, behavior, and overall quality of life. Research closely links chronic stress with mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders. Ongoing exposure to stress can lead to physiological and psychological changes, initiating a cycle of emotional distress and maladaptive coping mechanisms.
Individuals with depression often experience challenges in both their personal and professional...
Individuals with depression often experience challenges in both their personal and professional...
576
01:15Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients
212
Elderly individuals encompass a diverse population with varying degrees of age-related physiological changes. Defining the elderly presents challenges, as the geriatric population is often arbitrarily categorized as individuals older than 65. However, many individuals in this group lead active and healthy lives, with an increasing number surpassing 85 years and falling into the older elderly category. Physiological changes associated with aging impact performance capacity and homeostatic...
212
01:27Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age
180
Age-related pharmacokinetic changes are extensively documented, but understanding age-related pharmacodynamic alterations is relatively limited. This knowledge gap can be partly attributed to the complexity of developing appropriate measures of drug responses compared to bioanalytical methods for determining drug concentrations.Most information regarding age-related differences in human pharmacodynamics originates from cross-sectional studies. However, these studies assume that observed mean...
180
01:30Cognitive Development During Adulthood
749
Cognitive development continues throughout adulthood, undergoing significant shifts across early, middle, and late stages. Individual transition occurs from adolescent idealism to pragmatic and adaptable thinking in early adulthood. During this period, individuals learn to integrate personal beliefs with the recognition that other perspectives are equally valid. Exposure to the complexities of modern society, diverse experiences, and higher education contribute to this adaptive thought process,...
749
01:26Aging
568
Aging is a complex biological phenomenon influenced by various processes that affect cellular and systemic functions. Several prominent theories attempt to explain its mechanisms, highlighting cellular limitations, oxidative damage, and hormonal changes as central factors in aging.
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
568
01:29Documentation in Long-Term and Home Healthcare Setting
1.4K
Documentation in long-term care facilities and home healthcare settings is crucial for ensuring continuous, coordinated, and comprehensive care for patients. Each setting has its specific documentation processes and tools:
Long-Term Care Facilities
Long-Term Care Facilities
1.4K