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  • Perspective
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Investigating the connection between ageism and elder mistreatment

Nature Aging volume 1, pages 159–164 (2021)Cite this article

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Abstract

Elder mistreatment is recognized as a pervasive public health problem with detrimental consequences for older adults and society. Although considerable research has examined elder mistreatment risk factors at the individual level, there is a growing call for the field to move beyond proximal causes and consider underlying structural factors that influence elder mistreatment. Illustrating this shift, organizations, advocacy groups and researchers have proposed a connection between ageism and elder mistreatment. However, despite the assertion that ageism is a causal factor for elder mistreatment, there is a scarcity of research to demonstrate this relationship. In this Perspective, we examine the proposed conceptual pathways and limited empirical research connecting ageism and elder mistreatment. After identifying critical gaps in current knowledge, we propose a model that links ageism and elder mistreatment and a research agenda to bring conceptual clarity and empirical evidence to the study of this topic.

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Fig. 1: Elder mistreatment subtypes.
Fig. 2: Conceptual model illustrating pathways through which ageism leads to elder mistreatment.

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Acknowledgements

We thank D. Hancock for helpful comments on this article. K.P. acknowledges support from an Edward R. Roybal Center Grant from the National Institute on Aging (P30AG022845). D.B. acknowledges support from the National Institute on Aging (R01AG060080-0).

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Author notes

  1. Karl Pillemer

    Present address: MVR Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA

  2. David Burnes & Andie MacNeil

    Present address: , Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA

    Karl Pillemer

  2. Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    David Burnes & Andie MacNeil

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  1. Karl Pillemer
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  2. David Burnes
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Contributions

K.P. led manuscript writing and collaborated on manuscript conceptualization, editing and revisions; D.B. collaborated on manuscript conceptualization, writing, editing and revisions; and A.M. collaborated on manuscript conceptualization, writing, editing and revisions.

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Correspondence to Karl Pillemer.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Peer review information Nature Aging thanks Briony Dow, Gill Livingston and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

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Pillemer, K., Burnes, D. & MacNeil, A. Investigating the connection between ageism and elder mistreatment. Nat Aging 1, 159–164 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-021-00032-8

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