U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Mental Health Correlates of Financial Mistreatment in the National Elder Mistreatment Study Wave II

NCJ Number
254138
Journal
Journal of Aging and Health Volume: 31 Issue: 7 Dated: 2019 Pages: 1196-1211
Author(s)
Ron Acierno; Jordan Watkins; Melba A. Hernandez-Tejada; Wenday Muzzy; Gabrielle Frook; Mara Steedley; Georgia Anetzberger
Date Published
2019
Length
16 pages
Annotation

Since the potential relevance of financial abuse to mental health and perceived health is relatively unknown, this study examined this relationship.

Abstract

The second wave of the National Elder Mistreatment Study used random digit dialing telephone survey methodology to assess both recent financial mistreatment and its potential mental health correlates (i.e., diagnoses of depression, posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], generalized anxiety disorder [GAD], and self-ratings of physical health) in 774 older adults. The study indicated that past-year Wave II financial mistreatment was associated with significantly increased likelihood of depression, PTSD, GAD, and poor self-rated health; and financial mistreatment perpetrated by family members was associated with particularly increased risk of depression. Thus, the assessment of mental health is relevant and important in cases of financial abuse. (publisher abstract modified)