Moving the Field Forward: Elucidating the Nexus Between Elder Abuse and Trauma

• Published in: Journal of trauma & dissociation Vol. 21; no. 2; pp. 151 - 157
• Main Authors: DePrince, Anne P., Jackson, Shelly L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Routledge 14-03-2020; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Adult abuse & neglect; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Crime Victims; Domestic Violence; Elder abuse; Elder Abuse - prevention & control; Elder Abuse - psychology; financial exploitation; Fraud; general strain theory; Humans; Middle Aged; Older people; polyvictimization; Risk Factors; Theft; Trauma; traumatic stress; Victimization; financial exploitation; general strain theory; Elder abuse; traumatic stress; polyvictimization
• ISSN: 1529-9732; 1529-9740
• DOI: 10.1080/15299732.2020.1692404

At least 10% of older adults (age 60 and older) experience some form of elder abuse in a given year, with an additional 5% experiencing some form of financial fraud. However, conceptualizations of traumatic stress remain less well developed for elder abuse relative to other forms of trauma, such as child maltreatment and intimate partner violence. Incorporating a trauma framework into elder abuse research promises to deepen and expand our understanding of elder abuse, with the goal of preventing abuse and improving responses to older victims. This special section seeks to spur further research on the nexus between trauma and elder abuse. To frame the special section, this introduction describes current scholarship on this topic and multiple ways to enhance understanding of the nexus between elder abuse and traumatic stress in order to advance research, theory, and practice. The introduction offers an overview of three papers that apply trauma conceptualizations and related theories to distinct areas of inquiry: financial exploitation, criminology's General Strain Theory, and historical trauma experienced by American Indian and Alaska Native populations.