Intrafamily violence in the elderly

Abstract

Background: : intrafamily violence is any act ocommitted within the family, by one or several of its members, which causes physical, psychological or sexual harm to others of its members, undermining their integrity and damaging their personality or family stability. Objective: to characterize intrafamily violence in the elderly. Methods: a descriptive study was carried out in José R León Acosta clinic, in Villa Clara, from January to December 2016. From a universe of 373 patients aged 60 years and over, a sample consisting of 314 patients was selected, by an intentional non probabilistic sampling. Several variables were studied, such as age, sex, occupation, coexistence, family classification and abuse identification. Structured interviews were conducted with the elderly. Family health records were reviewed and the family functionality test was applied. Results: female sex prevailed in elderly population. Retired elderly, psychological abuse, nuclear and dysfunctional families, family conflicts and inter-generational differences are risk factors. Conclusions: in nuclear and dysfunctional families it is observed generally a greater number of signs of abuse in those elderly people who live with their children and grandchildren, and that is more evident in the female sex. The type of abuse that was most evident is the psychological abuse followed by physical abuse. DeCS: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE; AGED; FAMILY; RISK FACTORS; EPIDEMIOLOGY, DESCRIPTIVE.