Perceived hospitalized elder abuse in Iran: a cross-sectional study of subscale patterns and associated factors

The growing elderly population in Iran, coupled with the high prevalence of chronic diseases, has increased hospital admissions, thereby heightening the risk of institutional abuse by caregivers. This study aimed to examine the perceived hospitalized elder abuse among hospitalized older adults and its associated factors.

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted from 2023 to 2024 in hospitals affiliated with Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. In total, 422 patients aged ≥ 60 years were recruited through stratified random sampling. Data were collected via face-to-face interviews using a demographic and clinical characteristics form and the Hospitalized Elder Abuse Questionnaire (HEAQ). Factors associated with elder abuse were analyzed using multivariate linear regression in SPSS version 25, with statistical significance set at P < 0.05.

The mean age of participants was 70.65 (SD = 6.42) years; 48.1% were female, and 22.3% lived alone. The highest mean score for perceived hospitalized elder abuse was observed in the subscale of environmental and managerial inhibitors, at 2.29 (SD = 0.4), and the lowest level of hospitalized elder abuse was found in the subscale of physical and psychological abuse, at 1.16 (SD = 0.27). Multivariate linear regression analysis identified older age (β = 0.119; P = 0.003), being female sex (β = 0.154; P < 0.001), living alone (β = 0.119; P = 0.002), and a higher number of medications (β = 0.617; P < 0.001) as significant associated factors of perceived hospitalized elder abuse. The multiple regression model explains 42% of the total variation in perceived hospitalized elder abuse (Adjusted R-squared = 0.419).

These findings suggest potential areas for attention in clinical practice, including enhanced awareness among staff regarding the vulnerability of specific subgroups. Future research should employ longitudinal designs and interventional studies to evaluate whether targeted strategies can effectively reduce abuse perceptions.