Childhood Adversities, Midlife Health, and Elder Abuse Victimization: A Longitudinal Analysis Based on Cumulative Disadvantage Theory

Prevalence and correlates of emotional, physical, sexual, and financial abuse and potential neglect in the United States: The National Elder Mistreatment Study

Scott D Easton, Jooyoung Kong and Deborah S Carr

The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 2021, vol. 76, issue 10, 2086-2097

Abstract: ObjectivesElder abuse victimization is increasingly recognized as a pressing public health concern. However, few empirical studies have investigated whether early life course adversities and midlife sequelae heighten risks for abuse in late life. Guided by cumulative disadvantage theory, the current study examined whether compromised health in middle adulthood (physical, psychological, cognitive) mediates the association between child abuse and elder abuse.MethodThis secondary analysis was based on data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, a population-based, multi-wave dataset. We analyzed responses from 5,968 participants (mean age = 71 years; 54% female) on adapted versions of standardized measures: elder abuse victimization (outcome variable), childhood adversities (independent variable), and midlife health (physical health, depressive symptoms, cognitive functioning; mediator variables). Serial multiple mediation models were conducted, controlling for background characteristics.ResultsRates for any elder abuse and child adversities were, respectively, 16.34% and 47.98%. Multivariate analyses supported the cumulative disadvantage hypothesis. Childhood adversities (0.11, p

Keywords: Adverse childhood experiences; Cumulative advantage/disadvantage; Depressive symptoms; Elder abuse; Physical health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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