Utilization of Formal Support Services for Elder Abuse: Do Informal Supporters Make a Difference?

Few elder abuse (EA) victims ever seek or receive assistance from formal support services designed to mitigate risk and harm of revictimization. This study examined whether the presence of third-party "concerned persons" in victims' personal social networks plays a role in enabling fo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Gerontologist 2019-07, Vol.59 (4), p.619-624
Main Authors: Burnes, David, Breckman, Risa, Henderson, Charles R, Lachs, Mark S, Pillemer, Karl
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult abuse & neglect
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Elder Abuse
Elder care
Female
Help seeking behavior
Humans
Logistic Models
Male
Middle Aged
Regression analysis
Research design
Social networks
Social Support
Support services
Surveys and Questionnaires
Victims
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Summary:Few elder abuse (EA) victims ever seek or receive assistance from formal support services designed to mitigate risk and harm of revictimization. This study examined whether the presence of third-party "concerned persons" in victims' personal social networks plays a role in enabling formal support service utilization. A representative population-based survey administered to adults (n = 800) in New York State identified 83 EA cases from the past year. Penalized likelihood logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between availability of a concerned person and victim formal support services usage. EA victims who had a concerned person in their personal life were significantly more likely to use formal EA support services than victims without a concerned person. EA victims who lived with their perpetrator were significantly less likely to use formal services. Third-party concerned persons represent a critical population to target in efforts designed to promote EA victim help-seeking.
ISSN:0016-9013
1758-5341
DOI:10.1093/geront/gny074