Prevalence and risk factors of abuse against older adult women: A cross-sectional community study in Eastern Andalusia, Spain

Abstract

Abuse against older adult women remains a serious public health issue and a flagrant violation of human rights in Spain. However, research specifically addressing abuse against older adult women is still limited, contributing to a significant gap in scientific knowledge. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of overall abuse, and its different forms, experienced by older adult women (≥ 60 years) in a specific area of Eastern Andalusia, Spain, over the past twelve months, and to identify associated risk factors. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted with 209 non-institutionalised older adult women, using the Geriatric Mistreatment Scale and collecting sociodemographic and lifestyle data. A high prevalence of abuse was found, with 49.3% of participants reporting some type of abuse, with psychological abuse being the most common (36.4%), followed by physical (23.0%), economic (13.9%), sexual (11.0%) and neglect (7.7%). Factors such as age, marital status, self-perceived health status and feelings of loneliness were identified as significant risk factors. These findings highlight the need to strengthen detection, prevention and response strategies within community and household settings, particularly by equipping primary care, social services and other community-based professionals—especially social workers—with the skills to identify both overt and subtle forms of abuse experienced by older adult women living at home.