Mental Health Correlates of Financial Mistreatment in the National Elder Mistreatment Study Wave II

The second wave of the National Elder Mistreatment Study used a random digit dialing telephone survey to assess both recent financial mistreatment and its potential mental health correlates (i.e., diagnoses of depression, posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], generalized anxiety disorder [GAD], and self-ratings of physical health) in 774 older adults. The study indicated that past-year Wave II financial mistreatment was associated with significantly increased likelihood of depression, PTSD, GAD, and poor self-rated health; and financial mistreatment perpetrated by family members was associated with particularly increased risk of depression. These findings indicate that assessment of mental health is relevant and important in cases of financial abuse of an elderly person. (Publisher abstract modified)