Impacto do abuso financeiro no declínio da mobilidade do idoso

Abstract

Introduction: Financial abuse of the elderly is usually a constant and neglected event, and can have serious consequences and important implications for public health systems around the world. Knowledge of the relationship between financial abuse and the decline in functionality/mobility is still scarce in the scientific literature. Objective: To describe the prevalence of financial abuse in older people of different aging demographic profiles, and its impact on the decline in functionality and mobility. Materials and methods: This is a study with population samples of elderly people in 04 countries (Canada, Albania, Colombia and Brazil). The sample consisted of individuals of both sexes aged between 65 and 74 years, residents of the cities of Kingston, Saint-Hyacinthe, Tirana, Manizales and Natal. Information was collected on financial abuse, socioeconomic status, health conditions and limitations of mobility and physical performance. Multiple linear regression models and mediation analysis were used to assess the effect of financial abuse on objective and subjective measures of physical performance and mobility decline. Results: The prevalence of financial abuse varied between cities, being lowest in SaintHyacinthe (6,7%) and Kingston (4,2%), and highest among women in Natal (13,7%) and Tirana (20,3%). Adjusting for age, sex, education level and research city, those who reported financial abuse had greater mobility impairment (β= 0.08; 95% CI: 0.29; 0.86). The effects of financial abuse on mobility and physical performance decline were mediated by chronic conditions and depressive symptomatology. Conclusion: Financial abuse, along with other adverse factors, contributes to negative outcomes in the decline of mobility and physical performance in the elderly. The pathways that can explain this relationship have a strong relationship with exposure to adverse experiences throughout life, such as depressive symptoms, and the physiological response to chronic stress, which is expressed by the multimorbidity often present in elderly populations.