Abstract
Objective
To analyze the risk for violence and its relationship with social support among elderly persons enrolled in the Family Health Strategy.
Methods
A prospective, cross-sectional observational study, developed according to the STROBE tool, conducted in the city of Recife (PE), between 2016 and 2017, with elderly adults enrolled in an urban Family Health Unit. The instruments used for sociodemographic characterization were: Hwalek-Sengstock Elder Abuse Screening Test, and the Medical Outcome Study: Social Support Scale (MOS-SSS). Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for analysis.
Results
Violence against the elderly was more prevalent among those who were: men, more than 70 years old, literate, without paid employment, living alone, and receiving an income higher than one time the minimum wage. Material support, emotional/informational support facets, and social interaction showed significant correlation (p<0.000) with the risk for violence. In the regression model, emotional/informational support showed a protective factor (odds ratio 0.952; 95% confidence interval 0.91-0.98; p-value 0.007) for the risk for violence.
Conclusion
The elderly individual with deficient social support is more vulnerable to the risk for violence. However, the emotional/informational support facet is shown as a protective factor against the risk for violence.
Violence; Social support; Aged; Exposure to violence; Forensic nursing