Elder Abuse and Elder Mistreatment of Older Asians in the United States: A Scoping Review

Background and Purpose.

Elder abuse, defined as mistreatment by a caregiver or any individual resulting in harm or a serious risk of harm to an older adult, is a pressing issue leading to serious social, health, mental health, and financial problems. A series of research has reported that older Asians in the United States are at risk for elder abuse or elder mistreatment, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite its significance, elder abuse still remains a misunderstood and under-addressed problem, especially within Asian American communities. This study aims to explore the prior research findings and discussions on elder abuse/elder mistreatment among older Asians in the United States, providing insights for future practice and research. Particularly, we focused on the types of experienced or perceived elder abuse/elder mistreatment and its prevalence and extensions.

Methods.

Guided by Arksey and O’Malley’s (2005) five-stage framework, the research team conducted an extensive search across fifteen databases: APA PsycINFO, Social Services Abstracts, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, Social Sciences Full Text, Abstracts in Social Gerontology, Family & Society Studies Worldwide, Social Work Abstracts, Criminal Justice Abstracts; PubMed, CINAHL, MEDLINE, Embase; Academic Search Premier, and Web of Science. We focused on original empirical research, including quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods, published in peer-reviewed journals in English, without time or geographical restrictions. The population involves adults who were defined as older adults in the research paper, with Asian heritage, and residing in the community or residential facilities in the United States. A combination of terms, including abuse, violence, maltreatment, neglect, slavery, bully, battered, and omission, were used for the search. A total of 900 studies were initially identified, with 26 meeting the inclusion criteria after multiple screening processes.

Results.

Most studies were conducted between 2000 and 2019 (n=17) using cross-sectional quantitative methods (n=13). The majority of studies focused on Korean (n=17) and Chinese (n=12) older adults in California (n=17) and Illinois (n=4). Topics explored included perceptions of elder abuse/elder mistreatment, help-seeking behaviors, and factors associated with these behaviors or elder abuse/elder mistreatment experiences. Various types of elder abuse/elder mistreatment were examined, including physical, psychological, financial, and neglect by adult caregivers and families. Limited awareness of support systems and resistance to acknowledging the occurrence of elder abuse/elder mistreatment within Asian American communities that were associated with cultural norms and values were identified as significant barriers. Among other factors explored, health status (n=5) and educational level (n=4) were frequently found predictors of the likelihood of experiencing elder abuse/elder mistreatment.

Conclusion and Implications.

Research on elder abuse/elder mistreatment among older Asians in the U.S. is scarce, with a particular dearth of studies exploring their lived experiences. More qualitative research should be conducted to explore the vulnerability and needs of abused elders in different settings. Additionally, given the diverse ethnic landscape within Asian American communities, future research needs to expand its focus to include diverse Asian American groups. Lastly, further research is needed to develop and evaluate culturally sensitive approaches to identify and prevent elder abuse.