Implicit and Explicit Dehumanization of Older Family Members: Novel Determinants of Elder Abuse Proclivity

Abstract

Elder abuse affects one in six older persons globally. Three limitations impede progress in prevention: most research is victim—rather than perpetrator-based; the reliance on explicit, self-reported factors; and failure to account for psychological factors, such as dehumanization, that motivate abuse. The present study addressed these gaps by examining whether implicit and explicit dehumanization of older persons could explain elder abuse proclivity. In a web-based survey of 585 family caregivers of older persons, dehumanization was found to be prevalent with 51% of the caregivers implicitly and 31% explicitly dehumanizing older persons. As predicted, implicit and explicit dehumanization contributed to elder abuse proclivity (OR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.02–1.50, p =.03) and (OR = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.05–1.51, p =.01), respectively, after adjusting for relevant covariates, including caregiver burden, and caregivers’ and carerecipients’ health. Developing caregiver-based interventions to humanize older persons may complement ongoing efforts in reducing elder abuse.