High levels of abuse in older Alaska women
One in nine Alaska women age 60+ experienced psychological or physical abuse in past year
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One in nine Alaska women aged 60 and older experienced psychological or physical abuse in the past year, according to Dr. Andre Rosay, UAA Justice Center director. Results are based upon the Alaska Victimization Survey (AVS), an annual survey conducted from 2010 through 2015 by the Justice Center and funded by the Alaska Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. Dr. Rosay is the principal investigator for the survey.
Dr. Rosay used data from both a state survey (AVS) and national survey (National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey), and found Alaska rates for psychological and physical abuse higher than the national rates.
The surveys measured psychological abuse and physical abuse. They did not measure other forms of abuse, including financial exploitation.
Psychological abuse included expressive aggression by intimate partners and coercive control by intimate partners.
Physical abuse included physical violence by intimate partners and sexual violence.
The Alaska rate for psychological or physical abuse is 1.7 times as high as the national rate. The Alaska rate for physical abuse is 2.4 times the national rate and the Alaska rate for psychological abuse is 1.6 times the national rate. Overall, more than 7,000 women in Alaska aged 60 or older experienced psychological or physical abuse in the past year, according to Dr. Rosay.
L. Diane Casto, executive director of the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, finds the rates of elder abuse unacceptable. Casto plans to use data from Justice Center research to inform future Council on Domestic Violence Sexual Assault work on elder abuse.
A detailed article on Dr. Rosay's findings will be in the summer 2017 edition of the Alaska Justice Forum. To receive the free publication: https://www.uaa.alaska.edu/academics/college-of-health/departments/justice-center/alaska-justice-forum/subscribe.cshtml
For more information and a video discussion between Dr. Andre Rosay and CDVSA Executive Director L. Diane Casto please see: http://uaajusticecenter.blogspot.com/2017/06/world-elder-abuse-day-1-in-9-alaska.html
Pam Cravez is the editor of the Alaska Justice Forum.
