Notable Works

Burnes, D., MacNeil, A., Hsieh, J., Rollandi, I., Scher, C., Zanotti, P., Flallo, O., Rotsaet, C., Sirey, J. A., & Lachs, M. S. (2024). Distressing aspects of elder abuse victimization: Perspective of survivors. Clinical Gerontologist, 48(5), 1200-1210. https://doi.org/10.1080/07317115.2024.2445028

A recent communication to nursology.net from a Canadian colleague pointed out that there is little known about the experiences of survivors of elder abuse. Consequently, I undertook a literature search to determine the available relevant literature.

An October 2, 2025 search of Academic Search Complete using the search term, Elder Abuse Survivors, yielded 68 references. Review of article titles revealed only three articles with that search term. The most relevant article is a report of a study of the perspectives of survivors of elder abuse (Burnes et al., 2024 – cited above). The authors hold academic positions either in Canada or the United States and none are nursologists. Instead, they held degrees in social work, medicine, or psychology. However, the topic certainly is of considerable importance to nursologists as almost all of us encounter older adults in our practice settings and/or in our personal lives, at least some of whom may be at risk for or have experienced abuse in their later years. The purpose of this blog is to review the Burnes et al. (2024) article and suggest ways in which the perceptions of elder abuse survivors can be viewed within the context of two nursology conceptual models.

Burnes and colleagues (2024) pointed out that most knowledge about elder abuse comes from the perspectives of clinicians and researchers rather than from the survivors themselves. Existing data indicate that the many forms of elder abuse, such as physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, and financial exploitation, have extremely adverse outcomes “including premature mortality, reduced physical and mental health, lower quality of life, increased healthcare and emergency service use, and nursing home placement” (Yunus et al., 2019, as cited in Barnes et al., 2024, p. 1200)
Barnes et al. (2024) reported the results of their qualitative study of 32 survivors of elder abuse to identify their most “distressing aspects of victimization” (p. 1201). The authors explained,

“Participants were asked a series of questions related to their perception of the [elder abuse] problem, their feelings surrounding the problem, and which aspects of the problem they found most distressing and challenging. These questions were contextualized through probes related to problem severity (e.g., duration, frequency, subjective appraisal of seriousness), living arrangement, and victim-perpetrator relationship” (p. 1202).

Six themes were discovered in the data: “(1) fear; (2) disbelief; (3) disrespect; (4) concern for perpetrator and other family members; (5) feelings of loss; and (6) incongruity between client wishes and systemic responses” (p. 1203). Barnes et al. concluded that these themes reflect “personal, relational, and systemic sources” (p. 1206). A study conducted within the context of a nursology conceptual model might reveal different perceptions, the analysis of which most likely would yield different themes.

One example is a Roy Adaptation Model-guided study. The researcher(s) could ask questions of survivors of elder abuse that reflect the four adaptive modes of the model:

• Please tell me about your experience of elder abuse.
• How did you feel physically (Physiological Mode)?
• How did you feel emotionally (Self-Concept Mode)?
• How has the abuse affected your usual activities of daily living (Role Function Mode)?
• How did the abuse affect your relationships with your family members and friends (Interdependence Mode)?

The study participants’ responses to these questions would yield specific themes within the each of the adaptive modes and would provide the data needed to determine each person’s adaptation level (integrated, compensatory, or compromised).

Another example is a Levine’s Conservation Model-guided study. The researcher(s) could ask questions of survivors of elder abuse that reflect the four conservation principles:

• Please tell me about your experience of elder abuse.
• How has your level of energy changed since the abuse occurred (Conservation of Energy)?
• How has your feeling of being “whole” changed since the abuse occurred (Conservation of Structural Integrity)?
• How do you feel about yourself since the abuse occurred (Conservation of Personal Integrity)?
• How have your relationships with people in your community/town/city changed since the abuse occurred (Conservation of Social Integrity)?

The study participants responses to these questions would yield specific themes within the each of the conservation principles and would provide the data needed to determine each person’s conservation of being a whole and integrated person.

I encourage readers of this blog to contribute their ideas of how to study the perceptions of elder abuse survivors within the context of nursology knowledge.