Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2011 May;26(5):527-35. doi: 10.1002/gps.2561. Epub 2010 Aug 5.
This study examined the prevalence and risk factors for elder abuse in older Chinese with dementia by their family caregivers in Hong Kong.
A sample of 122 family caregivers of older persons with dementia was conveniently recruited from local community centers for the elderly. Participants provided information on their demographic characteristics, care recipients' physical functioning and agitated behavior, caregiver burden, and whether they had directed any abusive behavior at the care recipients in the previous month.
Sixty-two and 18 per cent of the caregivers reported having verbally or physically abused the care recipients in the past month. Family caregivers who spent more days co-residing with the care recipients, lacked any assistance from a domestic helper, observed more agitated behaviors in the care recipients, and/or reported a higher level of caregiver stress, reported more abusive behaviors. The results of hierarchical regression analysis showed that the number of co-residing days (p < 0.001), lack of any assistance from a domestic helper (p < 0.05), and caregiver burden (p < 0.01) were significant predictors of verbal abuse. Care recipient agitated behavior (p < 0.01) also predicted verbal abuse, with its effect mediated by caregiver burden. For physical abuse, the number of co-residing days (p < 0.01) was the only significant predictor.
Verbal and physical abuse were highly prevalent among this population of older Chinese with dementia. A higher level of caregiver stress is related to a higher level of verbal, but not physical abuse inflicted by the caregivers of these older persons with dementia.
本研究旨在探讨香港老年痴呆症患者家庭照顾者虐待老年人的发生率和风险因素。
本研究方便地招募了 122 名老年痴呆症患者的家庭照顾者作为研究对象，这些照顾者来自当地的养老院。参与者提供了有关他们的人口统计学特征、照顾对象的身体功能和激越行为、照顾者负担以及他们在过去一个月是否对照顾对象实施了任何虐待行为的信息。
62%和 18%的照顾者报告在过去一个月内对照顾对象进行了言语或身体虐待。与照顾对象共同居住天数较多、没有家庭佣工协助、观察到照顾对象激越行为较多、以及/或报告照顾者压力较高的家庭照顾者，报告的虐待行为较多。分层回归分析的结果显示，共同居住天数（p<0.001）、没有家庭佣工协助（p<0.05）和照顾者负担（p<0.01）是言语虐待的显著预测因素。照顾对象的激越行为（p<0.01）也预测了言语虐待，其作用被照顾者负担所介导。对于身体虐待，共同居住天数（p<0.01）是唯一的显著预测因素。
在这群患有老年痴呆症的中国老年人中，言语和身体虐待非常普遍。较高的照顾者压力与较高水平的言语虐待有关，但与这些老年痴呆症患者的照顾者实施的身体虐待无关。
