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Publication
Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing? Violent, Abusive, and Harmful Behavior by the Older Person Toward Their Family Caregivers: A Qualitative Study
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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Violent, abusive, and harmful behavior enacted by older adults upon
their caregivers represents a distressing and frequently disregarded facet
within the domain of caregiving. This qualitative study aims to (a) explore
family caregivers’ experiences of violent, abusive, and harmful behavior
by the older person and (b) explore how violent, abusive, and harmful
behavior by the older person affects family caregivers’ mental health. This
qualitative study encompassed 393 participants, with a diverse age range
spanning from 40 to 72 years. All the interviews went through the process
of content analysis. For the first objective, findings indicated six emerging
themes: Frequent and extreme verbal violence (77.3%); feeling manipulated
and controlled by older adults (74.7%); experiencing unpredictable illegal
circumstances provoked by older adults (62.1%); experiencing damaging
financial issues provoked by older adults (43.1%); experiencing physical violence (34.2.%); and experiencing sexual violence (31.1%). The second
objective highlighted four themes: depression and anxiety (89.9 %), anger
(81.2%), feeling morally isolated (78.3%), and emotional outbursts (65.1%).
Brazilian participants mainly experienced frequent and extreme verbal
violence (62.4%). Moreover, depression and anxiety were mainly verbalized
by English participants (84.3%). These findings underscore the significant toll
that older individuals’ violent, abusive, and harmful behavior can have on the
mental well-being of family caregivers. This study sheds light on the complex
experiences faced by family caregivers and emphasizes the urgent need for
targeted interventions to foster healthier caregiving environments. Older
individuals’ violent, abusive, and harmful behavior toward their caregivers
has received limited attention in research and public discourse. The findings
of this study call attention to the pressing need of addressing this issue, given
its detrimental impact on the mental health of family carers. Recognizing the
significance of this topic demands a comprehensive and targeted approach
to ensure the well-being and safety of caregivers and older adults.
Description
Keywords
Carers Family caregivers Mental health Older adults Violent Abusive and harmful behavior
Citation
von Humboldt, S., Leal, I., & Ilyas, N. (2024). Wolf in sheep’s clothing? Violent, abusive, and harmful behavior by the older p erson Toward Their Family Caregivers: A Qualitative Study. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605241263589
Publisher
SAGE Publications Inc.4