Hand Michelle D, Lee Mo Yee, Mengo Cecilia, Dabelko-Schoeny Holly, Kaiser Michelle
George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA.
The Ohio State University, Columbus, USA.
Sage Open Aging. 2025 Aug 30;11:30495334251367817. doi: 10.1177/30495334251367817. eCollection 2025 Jan-Dec.
Sexual violence (SV) is the least acknowledged or reported form of elder abuse, and older adults have been largely excluded from prevention and intervention. Guided by a Critical Feminist Gerontological-Social Ecological framework, a survey was developed to explore knowledge and experiences of SV in later life, and prevention recommendations. Data were collected using Amazon Mechanical Turk, directing participants to a survey on perceptions of SV, involving write-in questions on knowledge and experiences with SV in later life, and needs for prevention. Responses were thematically analyzed. Six themes were identified from 16 survivors of SV since turning 50. These themes include critical needs for knowledge, awareness, and resources for prevention; the rife yet hidden nature of SV; minimization, victim blame, and disbelief of SV in later life; the role of gender-, age-, and work-place-related imbalances of power; needs for greater accountability for people who offend; along with fear, strong emotions and extreme anger among survivors. The results suggest that SV in later life is a complex social problem that must be explored, prevented and addressed at multiple levels, requiring primary, secondary, and tertiary strategies across the lifespan. Timely implications for practice, policy, and research are discussed based on the survivors' recommendations.
性暴力是老年人虐待行为中最不被承认或报告的形式，老年人在很大程度上被排除在预防和干预之外。在批判女性主义老年学-社会生态框架的指导下，开展了一项调查，以探索晚年性暴力的知识和经历以及预防建议。通过亚马逊土耳其机器人收集数据，引导参与者参与一项关于性暴力认知的调查，其中包括关于晚年性暴力的知识和经历以及预防需求的书面问题。对回答进行了主题分析。从16名50岁以后遭受性暴力的幸存者中确定了六个主题。这些主题包括对预防知识、意识和资源的迫切需求；性暴力普遍存在但又隐蔽的性质；对晚年性暴力的轻视、受害者指责和怀疑；性别、年龄和工作场所相关权力不平衡的作用；对犯罪者加强问责的需求；以及幸存者的恐惧、强烈情绪和极度愤怒。结果表明，晚年性暴力是一个复杂的社会问题，必须在多个层面进行探索、预防和解决，需要在整个生命周期采取初级、二级和三级预防策略。根据幸存者的建议，讨论了对实践、政策和研究的及时启示。
