查看文章

Elder abuse has been defined as “a single or repeated act or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which causes harm or distress to an older person”[162]. This consensus definition was adopted by the World Health Organization [168], and other key bodies such as the International Network for Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA). It highlights the complexity of this latent construct, which incorporates concepts of the multiple types of abuse, characteristics of the abuser and abuse victim, the nature of the relationship between abuser and person abused, whether suffering is experienced by the abuse victim, the intention of the behaviour, whether the abuse is an act of commission (abuse) or omission (neglect), and the context of the abuse [41]. Many have called for more comprehensive approaches to the measurement or screening of elder abuse and neglect that reflect this complexity [38, 35, 41], but many challenges remain to achieve this. This chapter undertakes a systematic review of research between 1995 and 2015 of screening measures for elder abuse or neglect that have been at least partially validated, and discusses methodological issues associated with the development of effective screening instruments in this challenging area. Others have proposed that there is inadequate research to support the effectiveness of screening [125, 126], and highlighted the need for more research to determine whether screening is indicated. Thus, the review will also examine the limited evidence that addresses the effectiveness of screening, and the research, policy and practice implications …