Urban and Rural Variations in the Characteristics Associated With Elder Mistreatment in a Community-Dwelling Chinese Population

This study compared the urban and rural differences in the sociodemographic, socioeconomic, health-related, and psychosocial factors associated with elder mistreatment (EM) in a Chinese population. Cross-sectional study of 269 urban and 135 rural participants aged 60 years or greater was performed. For urban participants, those with EM were more likely to be younger, have lower levels of education and income, and have lower levels of psychosocial well-being. For rural participants, those with EM were more likely to be older, have lower levels of education, have higher numbers of medical conditions and lower levels of health status, and have lower levels of psychosocial well-being. Among those with EM, rural participants were more likely to be women, have lower levels of education and income, have lower levels of health status and quality of life, have worse change in recent health, and have lower levels of psychosocial well-being. Both higher levels of depressive symptoms and lower levels of social support were associated with increased risk of EM. Future intervention studies are needed to examine the effect of improving psychosocial well-being on the risk of EM among Chinese populations.