Adult children who abuse their parents frequently suffer from such problems as mental and emotional disorders, alcoholism, drug addiction, and financial difficulty. Because of these problems, these adult children are often dependent on the elders for their support. Abuse in these cases may be an inappropriate response by the children to their own sense of inadequacy. Our society emphasizes competence, energy, self reliance and physical beauty characterized by smooth skin and slim bodies. When these characteristics start to fade as people age, the value of the people themselves lessens in the eyes of many.
Little respect is given to persons who are seen as useless and unattractive.
It is much easier to abuse people who are not respected. Rarely will any one of these factors on its own lead to abuse. Usually a combination of circumstances is involved.