Abstract
BACKGROUND: The sexual abuse phenomenon is considered taboo. It has been discussed, to date, mainly in relation to children and young women, with insufficient attention to sexual abuse in a late-life context. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this survey was to explore professionals’ awareness of elder sexual abuse (ESA). DESIGN: The survey was conducted among 161 Jewish and Arab professionals from health care and social services, who worked with older adults in Israel. RESULTS: Of the entire sample, 70 professionals (only 43%) reported encountering at least one to three cases of ESA. A total of 98% of the victims were women, and the primary offender was the spouse (75%). In most cases (70%), the victim reported the abuse, which was mainly sexual assault (64%). All participants (100%) noted taking action. CONCLUSION: This exploratory survey indicates that professionals are partially aware of the existence of and the need to address the ESA phenomenon.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 53-61 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Journal of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1 Jan 2018 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2017, © The Author(s) 2017.
Keywords
- awareness
- elder abuse
- elder mistreatment
- elder sexual abuse
- intimate partner violence
- older adults
- survey
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Psychiatric Mental Health
