Abstract
An exploratory study on elder abuse conducted in northern Israel during 1996-97 identified approximately 270 elderly who had been victims of verbal, emotional and/or physical abuse by their spouses and/or adult children. Of this group, 42 elderly victims of spousal abuse were identified, including 12 widowed elderly who were remarried. This last group was selected as a sample for a qualitative study, examining the reasons for spousal abuse among the remarried elderly based on the victims' reports. The main factors causing unhap-piness in these second marriages were found to be finances, memories of the deceased partner, and unmet social, psychological, sexual and emotional-intimacy needs, which increased loneliness. These factors produced tension and conflict between the partners resulting in quarrels and a variety of abusive situations: neglect, mental-emotional abuse, verbal abuse, and physical violence.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 69-89 |
| Number of pages | 21 |
| Journal | Journal of Divorce and Remarriage |
| Volume | 31 |
| Issue number | 3-4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1 Jan 1999 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Pnina Ron, MA, is a graduate student and Ariela Lowenstein, PhD, is Director, The Center for Research and Study of Aging, School of Social Work, The Faculty of Welfare and Health Studies, University of Haifa, Haifa 31905 Israel. This research was supported by a grant from the Israeli National Insurance Institute.
Keywords
- Elderly second marriage
- Intimacy
- Loneliness
- Sexuality
- Spouse abuse
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Demography
- Law
