A community capacity framework for enhancing a criminal justice response to elder abuse

Abstract

Perceptions of elder abuse are shaped by experiential, cultural, contextual, and generational variables that influence both individuals' abilities to recognize elder abuse and their likelihood to report concerns to authorities. To examine community residents' understanding and awareness of elder abuse and their readiness to take action against it, we conducted telephone interviews with 710 adults, aged 25 and older, living in rural Virginia and Kentucky. Respondents answered a series of questions in response to scenarios depicting elder abuse. Although the majority of respondents identified the scenarios as representing abusive family situations, responses differed based on age, sex, and educational level of the respondents and sex of the victim portrayed in the scenarios. Older respondents and respondents with more positive perceptions of community cohesion (trust) also were likely to indicate that the older adult described in the scenario would get the necessary help that she or he needed. Based on our study findings, the extant literature, and concepts of community capacity, we propose a community capacity framework that highlights how the criminal justice system can optimally interface with formal systems and informal networks to reduce the risks for elder abuse within the community and overcome barriers to intervention.

Keywords::

• older adults
• community perceptions
• rural
• elder abuse

Acknowledgements

This research was supported in part by the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under Project No.VA-135823 of the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station and the University of Kentucky Poverty Center.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Karen A. Roberto

Karen A. Roberto, Ph.D. is Professor and Director of the Center for Gerontology and the Institute for Society, Culture and Environment at Virginia Tech. She also holds adjunct appointments in the Department of Internal Medicine, Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and is a fellow of the Gerontological Society of America.

Pamela B. Teaster

Pamela B. Teaster is a Professor in the Department Human Behavior at The University of Kentucky, and Director of Doctoral Studies for the College of Public Health. Dr. Teaster is the Director of the Kentucky Justice Center for Elders and Vulnerable Adults and is a fellow of the Gerontological Society of America.

Marya C. McPherson

Marya C. McPherson is the Associate Director of the Mental Health Association of the New River Valley, Inc., Blacksburg, VA. She has over 20 years of experience working in community-based programs. Her focal research and community program interests are primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of abuse across the lifespan.

Jay A. Mancini

Jay A. Mancini is the Haltiwanger Distinguished Professor of Human Development and Family Science at The University of Georgia, and Director of its Family and Community Resilience Laboratory. Dr. Mancini is also Emeritus Professor of Human Development at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. He is a Fellow of the National Council on Family Relations.

Jyoti Savla

Jyoti Savla is an Associate Professor in the Department of Human Development and the Center for Gerontology at the Virginia Tech. Her research investigates everyday life stressors experienced by caregivers and older adults and their implications for health and well-being.