Elder or Dependent Adult Abuse (Causes)

Spouses and adult children of elders are the most common abusers of family members. Generally, a combination of psychological, social and economic factors, along with the mental and physical conditions of the victim and the perpetrator, contribute to the occurrence of elder maltreatment. Although the factors listed below cannot explain all types of elder maltreatment because it is likely that different types (as well as each single incident) involve different casual factors, some of the causes researchers cite as important are:

• Caregiver stress
• Impairment of dependent elder
• A family history of violence and substance abuse