An empirical study of elder abuse in the state of Uttar Pradesh of India

Abstract

Purpose Elder abuse is the matter of grave concern in recent times in India. Today, older people are facing the abusive behaviour such as maltreatment, mental and physical torture and heedless ignominy from the family and the society. The purpose of this paper is to examine the nature of elder abuse in Indian socio-cultural context and also focuses on the causes of elder abuse and abusers. Design/methodology/approach Mixed method design has been applied in this paper. The study has been conducted from October 2012-January 2013 on a sample of 220 older people living in both rural and urban areas of Lucknow, India. The data have been analysed through descriptive and narrative analysis. Findings The study finds that the emotional abuse is more common among the older people, which raises the feeling of insecurity, depression and isolation. The study also points out that the respect, honour, status and authority which were enjoyed by the elderly in the traditional society, have gradually started declining. Moreover, the study finds that the family members, do not provide proper food, clothing and medical facilities in rural areas. Research limitations/implications Since the sample of older respondents was small and focused on those living in a particular area of one state, the authors cannot generalise from this study to include the great diversity of experience and difference in perceptions among the older people even within a particular state. However, widespread and diverse types of accounts of elder abuse were reported even in these settings, which can help indicate areas for future research and policies. Originality/value This is an original paper, which is based on the experiences of older people living in rural-urban areas and discussed the elder abuse in socio-cultural context.