High Prevalence of Elder Abuse during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Risk and Resilience Factors

From the National Adult Protective Services Association and Evidence Change:

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, elder abuse affected one in 10 older adults annually in the U.S. It has been assumed that the pandemic has brought with it a surge in elder abuse due to individuals ordered to stay at home combined with increased interpersonal, social, and financial stressors. However, empirical evidence is lacking. This webinar will present data from the first investigation of self-reported elder abuse victimization in a relatively large and diverse sample of older persons. The presenter will describe elder abuse prevalence and risk and resilience factors for abuse victimization during the ongoing pandemic. The findings will be discussed in relation to practice, policy, and implications for prevention programming.

Click here for the study article.

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Presenter:

E-Shien (Iggy) Chang, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Fellow in Behavioral Geriatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine’s Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine

Dr. E-Shien (Iggy) Chang is a NIH-supported Postdoctoral Fellow in Behavioral Geriatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine’s Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine. Iggy’s research program seeks to investigate and dismantle mechanisms of elder abuse and neglect across diverse cultural, family, and care settings. Her doctoral dissertation work was among the first to systematically examined the role of ageism, operating at both societal and individual levels, in driving elder abuse perpetration. Iggy completed her PhD in Social and Behavioral Sciences at Yale School of Public Health and her MA in Social Sciences at University of Chicago.