Social, Economic and Family Impact of Elderly Sexual Abuse in the U.S - Research Paper Example

?Social, Economic and Family Impact of Elderly Sexual Abuse in the U.S. Elderly sexual abuse is not a new concept but it is underreported. Many elderly people do not speak up or are unable to do so because they are frail or have psychological problems. Although this issue is terrible to think about it has far reaching impact on the family, on society, and on the economics of the society. Many elderly are taken advantage of by people who are close to them. There are often emotional and psychological stresses that accompany elderly sexual abuse and many do not recover from the experience. Defining Elder Sexual Abuse Muehlbaur and Crane (2006) define elder sexual abuse as: Any nonconsensual intimate contact, such as inappropriate touching, photographing, the individual in suggestive poses, forcing the individual to look at pornography, forcing sexual contact with a third party, or any unwanted sexual behavior can be considered sexual abuse. This kind of abuse may also include acts such as sexual exhibition, sodomy, or coerced nudity (p. 44). Unfortunately, the elderly do not as a rule report sexual abuse very often possible because 90% of this abuse is done by family members (Muehlbaur and Crane, 2006). Generally speaking, elder abuse is difficult to recognize unless there are bruises or other visible signs. The act of sexual abuse can be personally devastating for an elderly person. Acierno et al. (2010) studied the effects of elderly abuse across the United States. They conducted a study that analyzed 5,777 responses over one year. Their study found that .6% of elderly people in the study were sexually abused, and only 16% of abuse was reported to the police. The researchers found that when the elderly were abused with one type of abuse, they were often at risk for other types of abuse. Many of the elderly they researched had early traumatic events that also made them vulnerable to sexual abuse. This traumatic event put them at risk for “emotional, sexual and financial mistreatment” (Acierno et al., 2010, p. 295). In a study by Burgess (2006) it was found that most elderly people were abused in their homes and the perpetrators were males between the ages of 20 and 40; a few of the perpetrators were between the ages of 50 and 60. In 60% of the cases that were reviewed, the perpetrators were strangers. In almost 20% of the cases, the perpetrator was a caregiver, in 18.2% the perpetrator was an acquaintance and in 2.6% the perpetrator was a family member (p. 66). Social Impact of Elderly Sexual Abuse There are several issues that influence the social impact of elderly sexual abuse. There are two challenges that can keep them vulnerable to such abuse. First, they grew up at a time when sex was not talked about and where they may have not learned much about sex. Depending on the age group, the adults may be embarrassed to understand that something like this happened, which is one reason why it may not be reported Also, the elderly do not tend to have social networks. They do not tend to be on the Internet and they may not attend church or community centers where they could build friendships. Because they have no social networks, they are often isolated (Burgess, 2006). Those in nursing homes may also have problems socializing with others. These issues put them at risk for sexual abuse. Those who are chosen for abuse are generally the frail elderly and those who have a debilitating disease that may prevent them from speaking or from participating in general conversation. Acierno et al. (2010) state that about one million elderly people are abused on a yearly basis, and most of them have low social support which makes them more at risk for sexual abuse. This also makes it difficult for nurses, doctors, and other professionals to help these elderly because elderly abuse is difficult to detect unless someone reports it (Bonnie and Wallace, 2006). Because elder abuse has not been reported and because there are no real empirical studies on the issue, the case for elder abuse is sometimes difficult to prove. Another challenge is that elderly abuse does not have its own criteria or risk factors for the abuse which means that often the criteria for rape and/or domestic abuse are used instead of those that are specific to elder abuse and these may not fit for the elderly (Bonnie and Wallace, 2006). Economic Impact Laumann, Leitsch, and Waite (2008) studied the impact of several aspects of abuse of the elderly. They found that many will not report sexual abuse and this can cause problems for the individual and the family later in life. Although many of these reports happen in the individual’s home, the economic impact is more recorded in nursing homes. Edwards (2005) states that part of the challenge is that staff in nursing homes may pass background checks, but these checks may be one dimensional. This means that many of them will slip through the cracks rather than be found, leaving them to abuse the elderly again, and the economic impact comes to the homes in the form of lawsuits. Burgess (2006) states that the cost for these crimes in medical, legal and humanitarian areas cannot be measured. Many elderly have serious complications that can result in hospital stays, being put into a nursing home or death. Many will need more costly health care than those who are younger. Also, there is always personal suffering for these individuals and both families and the individual who was abused will have a high cost for their families and themselves in personal suffering. According to the World Health Organization (2004) the estimated cost of personal violence in the United States is approximately $300 billion each year. This statistic was in 2004, but there does not seem to be any other information on the cost of abuse at this time, and nothing that is specific to elder abuse. However, The National Alliance to End Sexual Violence (2011) states that in 2008, each rape of an individual cost about $151,423. Some of these rapes may have been with the elderly but they would not have been reported. Dolezal (2009) states that there are always higher costs associated with sexual violence because those people who are abused will spend more time in the hospital and that this cost can last long after the trauma. In other words, “exposure to violence and abuse increases the risk of negative health outcomes” (Dolezal, 2009, p. 3). There are also many hidden costs of sexual abuse as well. As an example, many trips to a primary care doctor or to the emergency room for medical issues may actually be the result of sexual abuse. An individual can suffer other health problems because of the abuse as well (Dolezal, 2009). With these types of statistics, it is also important to note that some of these cases of sexual abuse would include the elderly, whether they report it or not. Because it is not reported, it is important to understand that they would be included in some of the reports. This brings an issue that more needs to be done in finding out about elder sexual abuse and how to not only educate the elderly about this, but also to find ways to make sure it is reported. Impact on the Family When families learn that their elderly family member has been sexually abused, there are a number of ways that this information impacts the family. Tud (2011) states that one of the first issues that will be felt is stress. When a family member is abused, especially by another family member, other members of the family are very stressed and upset. The elderly in the family may not now how to talk to someone about what is happening and this can stop the abuse from being seen for several months to several years. (Riley-Harrison, 2008). The very old elderly may have certain ideas about gender roles and expectations that would prevent them from telling anyone about the abuse. Some elderly may not see what is happening as abuse because it was not something that was recognized until the 1970s. Because they are older, they may also experience a more violent attack and this can lead to more serious injuries. Many will not fight back if they are threatened (Riley-Harrison, 2008). Conclusion Elder sexual abuse is a difficult subject for many reasons. Because most elderly people do not report abuse, it has not become a priority to look for signs and symptoms in this population. The elderly can be sexually abused by family members, caregivers, or by strangers. Usually, it is the frail elderly, those with dementia, or those who cannot speak for other reasons that are targeted by perpetrators for this type of abuse. The reason these elderly are targeted more often is because they have less capacity to be believed or to tell on the perpetrator. More studies need to be done in this area in order to understand how elderly abuse happens, why it happens and its full impact on society and families. The research that is currently available is very slim and it took many searchers for this paper. Many researchers wrote on the topic of elder abuse and included sexual abuse as a subtext of the overall information on elder abuse. With more attention paid to this issue, there will be more information eventually available for the elderly and they may be better protected. References Acierno, R., Hernandez, M.A., Amstadter, A.B., Resnick, H.S., Muzzy, Steve, K., Muzzy, W., and Kilpatrick, D.G. (2010). Prevalence and correlates of emotional, physical, sexual, and financial abuse and potential neglect in the United States: The National Elder Mistreatment Study. American Journal of Public Health, 100, (2). 292-297. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2009.163089 Burgess, A.W. (2006). Elderly victims of sexual abuse and their offenders. Department of Justice. Retrieved from http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/216550.pdf Bonnie, R.J., Wallace, R. B. (eds.) (2003). Elder mistreatment: abuse, neglect, and exploitation in an aging America. National Research Council (US). DC: The National Academies Press. Retrieved from http://books.google.com Dolezal, T. (2009). Hidden costs in health care: The economic impact of violence and abuse. Academy on Violence and Abuse. Retrieved from http://avahealth.org/vertical/Sites/%7B75FA0828-D713-4580-A29D-257F315BB94F%7D/uploads/%7B316BEE7E-F7BB-418E-A246-AF9BB8175CF8%7D.PDF Edwards, D. (2005). Thinking about the unthinkable: staff sexual abuse of residents; Although few staff members ever cross the line, those who do grab headlines, cost facilities millions, and destroy seniors’ golden years. BNET The CBS Interactive Business Network. Retrieved from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3830/ is_6_54/ai_n14735161/ Laumann, E., Leitsch, S., and Waite, L. (2008). Elder mistreatment in the United States: Prevalence estimates from a nationally representative study. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B Psychological Sciences And Social Sciences, 63B(4), S248-S254. Retrieved from ProQuest database [Document ID: 1552235251]. Muehlbaur, M. and Crane, P.A. (2006). Elder abuse and neglect. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 44 (11) 43-8. Retrieved from ProQuest database. [Document ID: 1156870071]. Riley-Harrison, J. (2008). Elder sexual abuse fact sheet. Adult Protective Services Training Project. Retrieved from http://bayareaacademy.org/downloads/ APS_ELDER_SEXUAL_ABUSE_FINAL_1.pdf The National Alliance to End Sexual Violence. (2011). The costs and consequences of sexual violence and cost effective solutions. Retrieved from http://kyasap.brinkster.net/Portals/0/pdfs/cost_of_sexual_violence.pdf Tud, J. (2011). Elder abuse and the effect on families. EHOW. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/about_6160852_elder-abuse-effect-families.html World Health Organization. (2004). WHO report reveals economic cost of interpersonal violence. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/ releases/2004/pr40/en/index.html Read More