Screening for Vulnerability to Abuse Among Older Women: Women's Health Australia Study

The validity of a brief self-report screening measure for elder abuse was examined on a nationally representative sample of more than 12,000 older women in the baseline survey of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. The screening instrument was a modification of the Hwalek-Sengstock Elder Abuse Screening Test. Construct validity was examined using factor analysis and correlation with a wide range of socio demographic, psychological, and health related variables. Four factors, each of three items, were identified representing the following domains: Vulnerability, Dependence, Dejection, and Coercion. The Vulnerability and Coercion factors had the highest face validity for abuse and demonstrated moderate to good construct validity. The six items comprising these factors may provide a simple screening tool for elder abuse. The identified correlates of abuse indicators have the potential to enhance policy development, screening, intervention, and carer support programs.