National Elder Mistreatment Survey: 5 Year Follow-up of Victims and Matched Non-Victims

• NCJ Number: 252029
• Date Published: January 2018
• Length: 13 pages
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored

Annotation

This study, which was linked to a previous prevalence study of mistreatment of the elderly, examined a subset of the same participants to measure the effects of elder abuse on victim physical and mental health, as well as victim participation in and satisfaction with the criminal justice system.

Abstract

The purpose of this project was to follow the first National Elder Mistreatment Study, which provided prevalence estimates, with a second study of a subset of the same participants. This follow-up study measures the effects of elder abuse in terms of (1) health and mental health outcomes and (2) criminal justice system participation and satisfaction, as well as additional predictors of these effects. The enduring negative health and mental health effects of elder mistreatment, including financial mistreatment, were evident from 8-year follow-up data, although these effects appear to be mitigated, in large part, by current social support. Results from this study indicate that elder financial mistreatment perpetrated by family, friends, and acquaintances is far less likely to be reported than the same behaviors perpetrated by strangers.