Expanding Constructions of Elder Abuse and Neglect: Older Mothers’ Subjective Experiences

Abstract

This study examines elder abuse within the broader framework of parenting in later life and focuses on the experience of mothers with “difficult” adult children. The sample is low-income and minority older women (>62). Using constructive grounded theory, the analysis reveals that the women’s lens as mothers informs their explanations for not being able to take action to limit their adult children’s difficult/abusive behaviors. The author suggests the utility of incorporating a feminist framework that highlights adult child-to-mother violence as a means of increasing self-reporting of elder abuse and older women’s willingness to accept services.

KEYWORDS:

• elder abuse
• gerontology
• intergenerational
• mother/child relationships
• mothering