Intimate partner violence among older Chinese women

Abstract

Background: Suggestion of the changing dynamics of IPV in late life (≥ 60 years of age) and recognition of the vulnerability of older adults in the face of violence have added weight to the call for more research into IPV among older adults. Despite this, little is known about how different forms of IPV may impact on older adults in general and older Chinese women in particular. Objectives: To investigate and compare the characteristics and health impacts of the different forms of IPV among older Chinese women. Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis by extracting respondents aged ≥ 60 years from a study originally designed to examine violence and control in Chinese women. They were identified as survivors of Intimate Terrorism (IT) if their partners used physical violence as part of a pattern of control or Situational Couple Violence (SCV) if escalation of conflicts (e.g. over money) resulted in the use of violence by their partners. Results: Of the 613 abused women in the original study, 37 (6.0 %) were ≥ 60 years old with 16 of them (43.2%) identified as IT survivors and 18 (48.6%) as SCV survivors. Compared to SCV survivors, IT survivors reported significantly earlier onset (p < 0.001) and longer duration (p < 0.001) of IPV, experienced more frequent physical violence (p<0.05), and had higher scores of depressive symptoms (p < 0.001) and posttraumatic stress (p < 0.001). Also, more IT survivors reported escalation of violence (p<0.05) and were afraid of the partner (p<0.05). Conclusion: In this first analysis on IT and SCV among older Chinese women, the more detrimental effects of IT have reiterated the need for early identification of the different forms of IPV among our vulnerable older adults with timely intervention to prevent further deterioration of personal safety and health. Funding: General Research Fund (Project Number 753510).