The document summarizes a research project that studied the prevalence of domestic violence and abuse against older women in five European countries. The study found that overall 28.1% of older women experienced some form of abuse. The most common types of abuse were psychological, financial, and neglect. Perpetrators were usually partners or adult children. Abused women reported lower quality of life scores across factors like health, social relationships, and living conditions. The study highlights the need for policies and practices to increase awareness, screening, and support services to address abuse of older women.

1. • TÄHÄN KUVA
Mira Koivusilta | Nordic Congress on Gerontology | Reykjavik | 2 June 2010 1

2. ABUSE AND VIOLENCE AGAINST OLDER WOMEN:
PREVALENCE AND QUALITY OF LIFE
Luoma Minna-Liisa,
De Donder Liesbeth, Lang Gert ,Tamutiene Ilona,
Ferreira Alves José, Perttu Sirkka, Penhale Bridget
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3. Prevalence study of Abuse and
Violence against Older Women AVOW
Research project that aimed to
– conduct prevalence research on violence
against older women in the home setting,
– demonstrate patterns of violence and,
– develop a tool for harmonized and
comparable surveying.
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4. Prevalence study of Abuse and
Violence against Older Women AVOW
• Partners:
– National Institute for Health and Welfare (Finland)
(coordinator)
– Research Institute of the Red Cross (Austria)
– Vrije Universiteit Brussels (Belgium)
– Vytautas Magnus University (Lithuania)
– University of Minho (Portugal)
• Daphne III programme funding (EU)
• 2 years: April 2009 to April 2011
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5. Research questions
1. What is the prevalence rate of domestic
violence and abuse against older women?
2. Are there patterns of violence and abuse against older women?
3. Who are the perpetrators?
4. Which older women are at higher risk for violence and abuse? Which
risk factors are most important in explaining the occurrence of elder
abuse?
5. What are the individual consequences on
quality of life
Minna-Liisa Luoma | IFA2012 30 May 2012

6. Types of elder abuse
– Physical
– Psychological
– Sexual
– Financial
– Neglect
– Violation of personal rights

7. Methodology
• Questionnaire
– Standard questions + national questions
– QOL The EUROHIS QOL –Scale
• Sample
– Older women, living at home
– Aged between 60 and 97
– Data gathered in 2010
• Statistical methods
– T-test was used to measure differences on quality of
life between abused and non abused elderly.

8. Methodology
Number of respondents Data collection
Austria 593 Telephone
Postal +
Belgium 436
additional face to face (75+)
Finland 687 Postal
Lithuania 515 Face to face
Portugal 649 Postal
Total 2880 /

9. Results: Overall abuse
%
Austria 23.8
Belgium 32.0
Finland 24.7
Lithuania 21.8
Portugal 39.4
Total 28.1

10. Results: Types of abuse

11. Perpetrators
• In most cases, perpetrators of emotional abuse,
financial abuse, sexual abuse and violation of rights
were the women’s partners or spouses.
• The exception to this was in relation to neglect,
where in most cases older women were abused by
their adult children or children-in-law.
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12. Intensity of violence
• 7.6% of older women had experienced one single
form of abuse, but infrequently.
• 13.5% had experienced several forms of abuse, but
infrequently.
• 1.2% had experienced one single form of abuse
very often.
• 5.8% had experienced multiple forms of abuse very
often.
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13. Results: Quality of life
• Subjective assessment by using The EUROHIS
QOL
– Subjective health
– Ability to perform “daily living activities”
– Satisfaction about themselves
– Financial situation
– Social relationships
– Condition of living space
Minna-Liisa Luoma | IFA2012 30 May 2012

14. Quality of Life and Types of Abuse
Neglect Emotional Financial Physical Sexual Violation Overall
abuse abuse abuse abuse of right abuse
No 3.74 (0.67)* 3.80 (0.68)* 3.72 (0.68)* 3.72 (0.68)* 3.72 (0.69)* 3.73 (0.68)* 3.80 (0.67)*
Yes 3.00 (0.67)* 3.50 (0.61)* 3.00 (0.78)* 3.00 (0.78)* 3.30 (0.81)* 3.27 (0.74)* 3.49 (0.70)*
Finnish population based reference value 3,90 (0,25)
Minna-Liisa Luoma | IFA2012 30 May 2012 14

15. After abuse
• Most common effects of violence and abuse were
tension, anger, hatred and feelings of
powerlessness.
• Nearly half of the abused women (44.7%) talked
about the most serious incident with somebody they
knew or reported it to an official agency.
• In Portugal and Lithuania, however, only a quarter
of the abused women talked about the incident with
anyone else.
• The majority of older women talked with nobody
about the abusive incidents. Mostly women thought
the incident was too trivial or that nobody could do
anything about it.
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16. 7/23/2012 Mira Koivusilta 16

17. Lessons learned
• Policy: Development of guidelines, risk mapping
tools and screening instruments can facilitate
coordinate action against the abuse of older women
and should be initiated on EU level.
• Practice: raise awareness about elder abuse:
prevalence rates are high and more than half of the
mistreated women do not report or talk about the
incident.
• Adequate assessment tools and routine inquiry
about violence and abuse are needed.
• Increase disclosure and detection: Information
about existing interventions for abuse, the services
offered and about the rights of older victims should
be made widely available.
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18. Lessons learned… II
• Improve the efficiency of the interventions:
• The multifaceted nature of abuse must be
considered in the development of case
management approaches.
• Importance of tackling partner violence in later life
should be highlighted.
• Older adults should be included in the development
of appropriate responses to abuse.
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19. For more information
• www.thl.fi/avow
• Methods: literature reviews mapping the existing
research and both postal surveys and personal-visit
interviews.
The study was funded by EU’s Daphne III programme.
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20. Thank you!
minna-liisa.luoma@thl.fi
www.thl.fi/avow
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