Young and middle-aged adults' perceptions of elder abuse

Middle-aged and young adults (ns = 201 and 422, respectively) completedan adaptation of the Severity of Violence Against Women Scale and the ElderAbuse Attitudes and Behavioral Intentions Scale--Revised to examine theimpact of (a) respondent age, (b) age and gender of perpetrator and victim,and (c) history of experienced violence on perceptions of elder abuse.Results suggested that middle-aged respondents viewed psychologicalbehaviors more harshly than did younger respondents and that bothmiddle-aged women and young men were less tolerant of middle-agedperpetrators. Although history of participatory violence toward olderpersons was predictive of perceptions of elder abuse as it interacted withrespondent age, history of experienced abuse was not predictive. These datasupport a view of elder abuse that emphasizes its relativistic nature,wherein perceptions of elder abuse depend on both the characteristics ofthe perceiver and the victim and perpetrator variables.