Older women victimised by spousal and partner violence
About one in four older women has been the victim of physical, sexual or psychological violence at the hands of a spouse or other intimate partner, and some of that violence has occurred in the women’s recent, elderly years, according to a US study which appeared in The Gerontologist.
The results showed that 26.5% of the women surveyed reported violence by an intimate partner over their lifetimes. About 18% reported sexual or physical abuse and 22% were the victims of psychological abuse, including being threatened, called derogatory names or having their behaviour controlled by their partner.
About 70% of women who experienced verbal threats by an intimate partner said these threats were severe. Additionally, women who reported controlling behaviour had experienced this abuse for an average of 10 years.
In spite of the breadth and depth of violence in this group of women, only 3% said they had been asked by a healthcare provider about physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner.
