A DELPHI STUDY OF ELDER MISTREATMENT: THEORETICAL DEFINITIONS, EMPIRICAL REFERENTS AND TAXONOMY.
Contributors: University of Texas at Austin.
Published: 1988
Number of pages: 312
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.; Social Work.; Sociology, Individual and Family Studies.
Description: A three-round Delphi survey was conducted with a national panel of elder mistreatment experts for the purposes of inductively establishing: (1) theoretical definitions of elder neglect and elder abuse; (2) operational definitions of elder neglect and abuse; and (3) a taxonomy of elder mistreatment, neglect and abuse, for research applications. Ninety experts chose to participate in the study, seventy-five of them completed the first round, and sixty-three completed all three rounds.

Theme components of the definitions and taxonomy categories that achieved panel agreement at a 70% or above criterion level composed the final versions. The taxonomy is composed of five levels: I--is the global category of violence involving older adults; II--differentiates elder mistreatment from self-mistreatment and crimes by strangers; III--divides elder mistreatment into neglect and abuse; IV--allows for the distinction of intentional versus unintentional neglect or abuse; and V--further separates neglect and abuse into categories of physical, psychological, social and financial.

Elder mistreatment is defined as destructive behavior which is directed toward an older adult, occurs within the context of a relationship connoting trust, and is of sufficient intensity and/or frequency to produce harmful physical, psychological, social and/or financial effects of unnecessary suffering, injury, pain, loss and/or violation of human rights and decreased quality of life for the older adult. The theoretical definitions of neglect and abuse build from the definition of elder mistreatment. Elder abuse is aggressive or invasive behavior/actions, or threats of same, which is inflicted on an older adult resulting in harmful effects for the older adult. Elder neglect is the failure of a responsible party(ies) to act so as to provide, or to provide what is prudently deemed adequate and reasonable, assistance which is available and warranted to ensure the older adult's basic physical, psychological, social and financial needs are met, and which therefore results in harmful effects for the older adult. Definitions of all taxa concepts are provided.

The achievement of intersubjectivity of meaning on the taxonomy and definitions allows them to have empirical relevance as heuristic devices for application in future investigations. Implications of the study and recommendations for such applications are discussed.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 50-02, Section: B, page: 0495.

Thesis (PH.D.)--THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN, 1988.

School code: 0227.