Exploring the reasons of moral disengagment towards elder abuse among elderly caregivers

Abstract

Introduction: Today, elder abuse and neglect has spread as a public health problem. Caring for the older adults requires special moral and legal considerations. Inadequate awareness and indifference of caregivers to the ethical and legal issues of elderly patients causes physical and mental injuries, incurring costs, reducing independency and even the death of the patient. Identifying thereasons related to moral disengagment is one of the most important steps in preventing and reducing elder abuse. Explaining the justifying behaviors during mistreatment of the elderly and moral indifference in caregivers who commit elder abuse can help in designing early interventions to reduce moral disengagment in caregivers. ٍ Objective: The present study was conducted with the aim of ٍexploring the reasons for moral disengagment to wards elder abuse among older adults caregivers in Marivan city.. Methods and Materials: The current research is a qualitative study with the approach of conventional content analysis, which was conducted in the year 1402-1401 in the city of Marivan. The participants of the study were the 20 informal caregivers (family caregivers) who were purposively invited to participation in the study and taking into account the maximum variation in demographic characteristics. Data were collected using semi-structured individual interviews until theoretical saturation was reached and analyzed simultaneously. MAXQDA version 2012 software was used to manage qualitative data analysis. Results: The two sub- themes, four categories and eleven sub-categories including generation gap (A: decline of moral values including changing norms of the modern world, normalization, B: lack of mutual understanding including cultural differences, lifestyle differences Behavioral changes of old age), endogenous and exogenous stimuli including (A: internal drivers including: resentment, unconscious role modeling, Argument B: pressures caused by life difficulties including: livelihood bottlenecks, stressful atmosphere ruling the family, fatigue from continuity of care) were explained. Conclusion: The reasons for the moral disengagment of caregivers towards elderly abuse is a phenomenon that is influenced by various factors of different natures. These reasons are overshadowed by the generation gap between the young generation and the older adults , the decline of moral values and the lack of mutual understanding and the influence of endogenous and exogenous stimuli like internal drivers and pressures caused by life difficulties