Elder abuse and the association with ear or hearing diseases in advanced age: a cross-sectional study

TL;DR

This study finds that ear or hearing diseases in older adults are linked to a higher risk of elder abuse, highlighting the need to address hearing impairments in prevention efforts.

Contribution

The study is the first to demonstrate a significant association between ear or hearing diseases and elder abuse in individuals aged 80 or older.

Findings

Elder abuse was more common in individuals with ear or hearing diseases (84.2%) than in those without (79.4%).

EHD was significantly associated with elder abuse, particularly with intimidation and neglect subscales.

Depressive symptoms and EHD were both independently linked to increased elder abuse risk.

Abstract

Elder abuse (EA) is a serious health issue in older adults. The risk of EA may be increased by ear or hearing diseases (EHD), which are prevalent in this population and can lead to dependence on caregivers. The objective of the study was to determine the association between EHD and EA in older adults.

Data were derived from 2,817 individuals aged 80 years or older from the Old Age in Germany (D80+) study. EA was measured using the Elder Abuse and Emotional Consequences Scale (EACS) and its subscales: intimidation, shaming and blaming, paternalism, neglect, financial exploitation, and physical behavior. Elastic net regressions and multivariate analyses of covariance (MANCOVA) were performed to examine the link between EHD and EA subscales.

Individuals had a mean age of 84.4 ± 3.9 years. Of these, 52.4% were male and 47.6% female. The prevalence of EA was higher in individuals with EHD (84.2%) compared to those without (79.4%, p < .001). In addition to depressive symptoms (coefficient = 0.101, p < .001), EHD was also significantly associated with EA (coefficient = 0.052, p = .003). MANCOVA results showed a multivariate effect of EHD on EA subscales (Wilks’ λ = 0.987, F(6, 2653) = 5.696, p < .001, partial η² = 0.013). The strongest effects were observed on the intimidation (F = 22.364, p < .001, η² = 0.008) and neglect subscales (F = 21.151, p < .001, η² = 0.008).

The study identified an association between EHD and EA. This emphasizes the importance of addressing hearing impairments in EA prevention strategies.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12877-026-07222-2.

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