THE EFFECT OF ELDER ABUSE ON PSYCHOLOGICAL RESILIENCE IN INDIVIDUALS 65 YEARS AND OLDER ADMITTED TO THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

Introduction: Elder abuse is an important worldwide problem that increasingly occurs as the population ages and is often kept as a family secret. Emergency department workers play an important role in determining elder abuse and related issues. This study determines the effect of elder abuse on psychological resilience in individuals 65 years and older admitted to the emergency department. Materials and Method: The study data were obtained from 214 elderly individuals via the Information Form, the Hwalek-Sengstock Elder Abuse Screening Test and the Brief Psychological Resilience Scale. Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney-U, Kruskal-Wallis and Spearman Rho Correlation analysis were used to evaluate the data. Results: The senior's mean age was 74.76 +/- 6.45 and 51.4% were men. It was determined that 20.6% of the seniors had a history of abuse, most of the perpetrators were the spouse (38.6%) or siblings (29.6%), physical violence was most common (84.4%) and the violence continued for 1.9%. The Hwalek-Sengstock Elder Abuse Screening Test mean score was 2.41 +/- 1.75 (low), and it was determined that 36.0% of the seniors experienced abuse. The Brief Psychological Resilience Scale mean score was 18.83 +/- 6.77, which corresponds to a medium level. A significant negative relationship was evident between the Hwalek-Sengstock Elder Abuse Screening Test and Brief Psychological Resilience Scale scores (r = -0.238; p = .000). Conclusion: Elder abuse is an important problem that requires screening and treatment in emergency departments. As abuse increases, psychological resilience decreases.