Older Victims of Abuse: Understanding Help-Seeking in an Understudied Population

Fraga Dominguez, Silvia and Storey, Jennifer E. and Glorney, Emily (2026) Older Victims of Abuse: Understanding Help-Seeking in an Understudied Population. Victims and Offenders. ISSN 1556-4886

Preview

Text Accepted_manuscript_Victims_Offenders_Jan_26.pdf - Accepted Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives. Download (461kB)

Abstract

The abuse of older adults by someone in a position of trust, also known as elder abuse (EA), is a prevalent and impactful problem worldwide that often goes unreported. The current study investigated EA victims’ help-seeking, including barriers and facilitators to help-seeking, sources of reporting and responses, and attitudes towards intervention. The study utilized secondary data from a UK EA helpline, with 1,623 cases examined through a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative content analysis, descriptive statistics, and logistic regression. Data were gathered on victim, perpetrator and abuse characteristics, and victims’ help-seeking. Victims faced a wide range of barriers to seeking help, particularly in relation to their social network, and sometimes due to the perpetrator’s influence. Attitudes towards external help were mixed and victims had a variety of goals that they were seeking from intervention. Cases where victims were female, younger, experiencing mental health problems, or suffering psychological abuse, were more likely to be self-reported.

Item Type:	Article
Identification Number:	10.1080/15564886.2026.2615124
Dates:	Date Event 6 January 2026 Accepted 29 January 2026 Published Online
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Elder mistreatment, victims, help-seeking, barriers, older adults, reporting
Subjects:	CAH04 - psychology > CAH04-01 - psychology > CAH04-01-01 - psychology (non-specific)
Divisions:	Life and Health Sciences > Psychology
Depositing User:	Gemma Tonks
Date Deposited:	14 Jan 2026 14:09
Last Modified:	09 Mar 2026 11:46
URI:	https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/16802

Actions (login required)

View Item