Prevalence of elder abuse and associated factors among older adults attending urban health centres in Golestan Province, Iran

Abstract Background Elder abuse is a major public health and social concern affecting older adults worldwide. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of elder abuse and examine its sociodemographic, health-related, and psychosocial correlates among older adults attending urban health centres in Golestan Province, Iran. Methods This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted in 2022 using a multistage sampling approach. Five cities and urban health centres were randomly selected, and eligible participants were subsequently recruited using convenience sampling. A total of 400 community-dwelling adults aged ≥ 60 years participated. Elder abuse was assessed using a validated instrument, with a mean score > 0.40 in at least one domain indicating abuse, following the instrument developers’ guidelines. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression. Due to the cross-sectional design, causal relationships cannot be inferred. Results The overall prevalence of elder abuse was 61.8% (95% CI: 57.0–66.6%). Emotional neglect was the most frequently reported subtype (42.5%), whereas rejection was the least common (11.5%). In multivariable analysis, increasing age, female gender, perceived financial inadequacy, substance use, and low self-esteem were significantly associated with higher odds of reporting elder abuse ( p < 0.05). Conclusion Elder abuse was common among older adults attending urban health centres in Golestan Province, particularly emotional neglect. Several sociodemographic, health-related, and psychosocial factors were statistically associated with reported abuse. However, these findings should be interpreted with caution due to potential selection bias arising from health-centre-based convenience sampling and recall and social desirability biases associated with self-reported data.