Elder abuse in Brazil: an integrative review

Abstract Objective: the present study aimed to carry out an integrative review of literature on the scientific knowledge relating to the occurrence of elder abuse produced in Brazil between the years of 2013 to 2017. Method: a bibliographic survey was carried out through publications indexed in the Virtual Health Library (VHL) database: the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SCIELO), Latin American Literature in Health Sciences (LILACS) and the CAPES Portal of Periodicals (CAPES). The data collection instrument, created by the authors, included characteristics such as: year of publication, main journals, research design, topics covered, main areas of knowledge, sampling and study objectives. Results: 28 publications were analyzed. The main types of violence were psychological (28%), physical (28%), unspecified (16%), financial (12%), self-abandonment (8%), neglect and verbal violence (4%). The majority of the victims were female (64%), of unspecified gender (28%) and male (8%). Conclusion: the present integrative review found that the main violence suffered was psychological together with physical, with the elderly the main victims. The main place of maltreatment was in the home. The research also found that there are gaps in information about the reasons that triggered the aggressions. It is therefore necessary to investigate this subject further and carry out new studies that seek to identify these factors.