Elder abuse experienced by older Mexican women with disabilities: a current and retrospective view on domestic violence

ABSTRACT

The objectives of this study were: 1) to estimate the prevalence of child abuse (CA), intimate partner violence (IPV), and elder abuse (EA) in a representative sample of older Mexican women by status, type, and cause of disability; and 2) to examine the associations of EA with CA, IPV, and disability status. We conducted a secondary data analysis of 21,718 women aged 60 years and older. Older women with disabilities had higher prevalences of CA, IPV, and EA than those with some difficulties or without disabilities. In older women whose disability was acquired at birth or due to aggression, this prevalence was especially high. Older women with disabilities and a history of CA and IPV were twice as likely to suffer EA. Policymakers and government leaders should incorporate the matter of violence against women with disabilities into their public agendas. This should be done while considering the women’s various disabilities and causes of disability.

KEYWORDS:

• elder abuse
• violence
• Disability
• older women
• Mexico

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, (MA-B), upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.