Peer-reviewed article
Older Adults and Family Discord or Violence During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results of a Canada-Wide Survey
Gutman G, de Vries B, Beringer R, Gill P, Dault H et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This peer-reviewed study surveyed 4,380 older Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic to examine family discord and violence among seniors. The research found that 1.8% of respondents experienced frequent family discord involving physical violence, with this group more likely to be younger, less educated, and non-white. Those experiencing such violence reported higher rates of depression, loneliness, anxiety, and difficulties accessing food, healthcare, and mental health support.
Key points
- 1.8% of older adult survey respondents reported experiencing frequent family discord or physical violence during COVID-19
- Older adults experiencing family violence were significantly younger, less educated, non-white, and more likely to be unemployed
- This subgroup reported significantly higher rates of depression, loneliness, isolation, anxiety, and feeling judged or shamed
- Respondents with family violence experienced greater difficulty accessing basic needs including food, medical care, and mental health treatment
- The study highlights elder abuse as an understudied area during disasters and pandemics
Limitations
This study focuses on older adults (seniors), not children, and therefore does not provide evidence relevant to child well-being. The survey methodology relied on self-selection through social media and organizational outreach, which may not represent all older Canadians.
Abstract
Abstract Child abuse and intimate partner violence rates are known to increase during and in the aftermath of disasters. Research on elder abuse during disasters, including the current pandemic, is limited. As part of an online survey that explored older Canadians’ current experiences and future care plans during the COVID-19 pandemic, we aimed to determine the prevalence, contributing factors and potential outcomes of frequent family discord involving physical violence (FFD/PV) as a proxy for elder abuse. The survey was conducted between Aug 10 and Oct 10, 2021. Respondents (n=4380) were recruited using social media, direct email, Facebook advertising and with the assistance of 85 local community, regional and national organizations. The sub-sample reporting FFD/PV (n=76, 1.8%) was compared with other survey respondents regarding socio-demographic characteristics, negative and positive emotions, difficulty accessing basic needs, food, health care and support. Respondents experiencing FFD/PV were found to be significantly younger and less educated and were more likely to be non-white and not working than other respondents. The subgroup sustaining FFD/PV reported significantly higher rates of feeling depressed, lonely, isolated, anxious, sad, and judged/shamed and felt less happy, relaxed and accepted in their community. They also reported higher rates of challenges in accessing basic material needs such as food, support, medical care, mental health treatment and experienced more changes in life routines. Although only a small percentage reported FFD/PV, our results highlight a disturbing pattern that merits serious attention of adult protection agencies, seniors' advocates and disaster response organizations.