Elder Abuse and Associated Factors among Nursing Home Residents with Dementia

Elder abuse among nursing home (NH) residents is growing over time. Elder abuse includes multiple forms, including physical, psychological, financial, and sexual, which seriously impact older adults' quality of life. Despite the issue's significance, few studies have studied elder abuse among NH residents, and to our knowledge, no study has examined the prevalence of elder abuse and its associated factors among NH residents in Jordan. This study aimed to examine the predictors of elder abuse among NH residents in Jordan. A descriptive correlational study was conducted on a convenience sample of NH residents recruited from six NHs in Amman, Jordan. Using the function ability scale for the elderly questionnaire, the MoCA instrument, the Wisconsin Agitation Inventory (WAI), the accumulative illness rating scale (CRIS), the Communication of Need-Dementia Alzheimer's Type (CON-DAT), and the Elder Assessment Instrument (EAI) to measure ability to perform activities of daily living, level of dementia, agitation, the comorbid burden, verbal ability, and elder abuse, respectively. Pearson correlation was utilized to examine the relationship between the major variables of this study. The binary logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association of elder abuse with the rest of the variables. A total of 78 NH residents aged between 55–85, with a mean of 72.52 ± 9.45, participated in our study. About 53 participants showed potential exposure to elder abuse from staff members, family visitors, or other residents, and older people with dementia (PWD) were more likely to experience elder abuse than younger PWD, without any significant difference regarding how long they stayed in NH. The results of the chi-square tests showed that PWD who were widowed/divorced were more likely to be a victim of elder abuse than married and single ones. Binary logistic regression results showed that, after controlling for age and marital status, PWD were more exposed to elder abuse as the severity of dementia worsened, and they exhibited more agitated behaviors. The study's findings regarding elder abuse and the factors that contribute to it are significant enough to warrant early detection and preventive measures for NH residents. More training programs are needed to enhance healthcare providers' awareness of elder abuse and how to build effective and proper intervention and care plans. Our research suggests that robust patient care policies be developed, emphasizing quality monitoring systems and frequent staff training sessions on the prevention and management of elder abuse.