Loneliness and unmet needs of intimacy and sexuality—their effect on the phenomenon of spousal abuse in second marriages of the widowed elderly

Pnina Ron; Ariela Lowenstein

doi:10.1300/J087v31n03_05

Loneliness and unmet needs of intimacy and sexuality—their effect on the phenomenon of spousal abuse in second marriages of the widowed elderly

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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	https://doi.org/10.1300/J087v31n03_05
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.

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Keywords

Elderly second marriage
Intimacy
Loneliness
Sexuality
Spouse abuse

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Demography
Law

Access to Document

10.1300/J087v31n03_05

Cite this

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title = "Loneliness and unmet needs of intimacy and sexuality—their effect on the phenomenon of spousal abuse in second marriages of the widowed elderly",

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.",

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author = "Pnina Ron and Ariela Lowenstein",

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N1 - 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.

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AB - 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.

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Loneliness and unmet needs of intimacy and sexuality—their effect on the phenomenon of spousal abuse in second marriages of the widowed elderly

Abstract

Bibliographical note

UN SDGs

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

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Cite this