Kafle Bharat, Shrestha Aman, Ghimire Saruna, Bhattarai Preeti, Bhattarai Pratik, Poudyal Amod Kumar
School of Public Health, Karnali Academy of Health Sciences, Jumla, Karnali Province, Nepal.
Division of Gerontology, Department of Epidemiology & Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Maryland Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2025 May 14;20(5):e0323713. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0323713. eCollection 2025.
Elder abuse is a rarely discussed public health and human rights issue in Nepal, largely due to traditional values emphasizing reverence for parents. These cultural norms can discourage recognition and reporting, especially within families. Consequently, nationwide or large-scale data on this issue is lacking. This study aims to estimate the prevalence and explore the factors associated with family-based elder abuse in Gandaki province, western Nepal.
A cross-sectional design was conducted interviewing 612 participants (≥ 60 years) in household settings. The study areas, representing mountain, hill and tarai regions of Gandaki province, were randomly selected using multistage stratified sampling process. The dependent variable was measured using 17-item elder abuse scale. Multivariable logistic regression explored the factors associated with elder abuse.
More than half of the participants were from Nawalpur (57.2%), urban residents (68.1%), female (57.2%), without education (79.8%), and lived in multigenerational households (73.0%). The overall prevalence of elder abuse was reported at 56.4%, with caregiver neglect (50.8%) being the most prevalent sub-type. The prevalence was higher among females (66.6%) than males (42.8%). In adjusted multivariable logistic regression, those who were female (AOR = 2.56, 95%CI: 1.64-4.01), older than 70 years (AOR = 1.53, 95%CI: 1.03-2.29), reluctant to disclose health issues to family members (AOR = 2.13, 95%CI: 1.36-3.34), believed in traditional healers (AOR = 1.89, 95%CI: 1.28-2.77) and lived in nuclear households (AOR = 1.85, 95%CI: 1.19-2.89) had higher odds of elder abuse. Those living in rural areas (AOR = 0.39, 95%CI: 0.25-0.61), having formal education (AOR = 0.31, 95%CI: 0.10-0.95), and having good self-reported health (AOR = 0.23, 95%CI: 0.12-0.46) were associated with lower odds of elder abuse.
The study highlights a high prevalence of elder abuse, particularly caregiver neglect, with a disproportionate impact on women. Policy recommendations include raising awareness, strengthening legal protections, and improving caregiver training to meet these challenges effectively.
在尼泊尔，虐待老年人是一个很少被讨论的公共卫生和人权问题，这主要归因于强调尊敬父母的传统价值观。这些文化规范可能会阻碍对虐待行为的认识和举报，尤其是在家庭内部。因此，缺乏关于这个问题的全国性或大规模数据。本研究旨在估计尼泊尔西部甘达基省基于家庭的虐待老年人的患病率，并探索与之相关的因素。
采用横断面设计，在家庭环境中对612名参与者（≥60岁）进行访谈。研究区域代表甘达基省的山区、丘陵地区和平原地区，通过多阶段分层抽样过程随机选取。使用17项虐待老年人量表来测量因变量。多变量逻辑回归分析探索与虐待老年人相关的因素。
超过一半的参与者来自纳瓦尔布尔（57.2%），是城市居民（68.1%），女性（57.2%），未受过教育（79.8%），并生活在多代同堂的家庭中（73.0%）。据报告，虐待老年人的总体患病率为56.4%，其中照顾者忽视（50.8%）是最普遍的亚型。女性（66.6%）的患病率高于男性（42.8%）。在调整后的多变量逻辑回归分析中，女性（比值比[AOR]=2.56，95%置信区间[CI]：1.64 - 4.01）、年龄超过70岁（AOR = 1.53，95%CI：1.03 - 2.29）、不愿向家庭成员透露健康问题（AOR = 2.13，95%CI：1.36 - 3.
