Research design proposal with problem statement, literature review, and methodology

Victimology and the Problem of Elder Abuse
Part 1
Introduction
Just as criminology is the study of crime and the criminal’s role in crime, victimology is the study of victimization and how victims are impacted by crime and how they in turn also impact crime. There are five typologies of victimization, each one illustrating different ways in which the perpetrator and the victim (if there is one) interact in the crime. For the specific population of elderly people, one problem in victimology is the focus on elder abuse, which is defined as “a single or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust which causes harm or distress to an older person” (Jackson, 2016, p. 265). According the World Health Organization (2002), elder abuse tends to be manifested in a variety of forms: (a) physical abuse, (b) psychological abuse, (c) sexual abuse, (d) neglect, (e) abandonment, and (f) financial exploitation or theft. The main problem with the subject of elder abuse in the field of victimology is that the research is often too focused on the victim and does not shed enough light on the perpetrator and the various states of awareness that the perpetrator might actually have when committing victim abuse. For that reason, there is a “lack of empirical understanding of elder abuse perpetrators” (Jackson, 2016, p. 266).
Variables that Impact the Issue
The variables that impact this issue are: (a) the needs of the victim, (b) the needs of the perpetrator, (c) the type of abuse, (d) variations in perpetrator culpability, and (e) the rationalization or justification of abuse by both victim and perpetrator.
Statement of Purpose
This study aims to address the lack of empirical understanding regarding the role of the perpetrator in elder abuse. To better understand why victims do not report their abuse and how to help victims of elder abuse, victimology must do more to shed light on the motives, methods, and conscious or unconscious approaches taken to perpetrators (Jackson, 2016). This will in turn allow for a properly effective intervention to be developed that, in some cases where abuse is unintentional or unclearly realized, can help perpetrators be more mindful in their care of the elderly. The specific purpose of this study, therefore, is to identify the variables that are most impactful in elder abuse and determine how to best address these variables so as to help the victims via the use of prevention techniques.
Part 2
Literature Review (Annotated Bibliography)
Aas, G. (2018). The Norwegian police and victims of elder abuse in close and familial
relationships. Journal of elder abuse & neglect, 30(1), 20-41.
This study looks at how criminal justice officers aim to prevent elder abuse when it occurs in familial settings, such as when a child is the perpetrator and the parent the victim. The study reveals that victims in elder abuse are often reluctant to involve police in the issue, so criminal justice agents tend to focus on prevention rather than prosecution. Methods of intervention in promoting prevention of elder abuse are “home visits, motivation, dialogue and interdisciplinary collaboration” (Aas, 2018, p. 20). As Aas points out, one of the main problems with studying elder abuse is that neglect, which is a common form of elder abuse, is not an actively committed crime. Other forms of abuse are rarely studied in victimology, especially as the variable of mental health of the victime can become a factor that raises new ambiguities.
Anand, V., Ashforth, B., Joshi, M. (2005). Business as usual: The acceptance and
perpetuation of corruption in organizations. Academy of Management Executive, 19(4): 9-23.
This study shows how otherwise normal, functioning, law-abiding citizens can commit crimes such as abuse by using rationalization tactics to justify their criminal behaviors. By engaging in rationalization tactics, persons can remove any sense of guilt or regret from their minds and consciences. It is a rationalization of corruption that, in the case of elder abuse, can become a two-way street as the victims may rationalize or justify the behavior of the perpetrator, especially if the perpetrator is a loved-one such as a son or daughter, or if the victim senses that he or she really is a burden and deserves to be neglected.
Baer, R. A. (2003).  Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: a conceptual and
empirical review. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 10(2): 125-143.
This study focuses on the role that mindfulness can play in helping care givers to be more in the moment, present, and able to provide quality care. It demonstrates that by teaching meditation practices or techniques to care givers, problems or deficiencies in care can be reduced. Mindfulness training could be used as an appropriate intervention in elder abuse, especially if prosecution of abusers is neither wanted by the victim nor possible by the state. For criminal justice agencies that prefer to focus on prevention, mindfulness training may be one technique that can be implemented to help reduce the risk of elder abuse.
DeLiema, M., Yonashiro-Cho, J., Gassoumis, Z. D., Yon, Y., & Conrad, K. J. (2017).
Using latent class analysis to identify profiles of elder abuse perpetrators. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 73(5), e49-e58.
This study recognizes a need to realize that not all perpetrators of elder abuse are the same—i.e., there is more heterogeneity among perpetrators than there is homogeneity. The purpose of this study was to identify different types of perpetrators in the victimology of elder abuse. The researchers used multinomial logistic regression to identify abuser profiles that matched the type of abuse that the victims experienced. Four profiles were created: caregiver, temperamental, dependent caregiver and dangerous. Perpetrators whose profiles were dangerous typically showed the most aggression, tendency to abuse substances, need for financial support, and a high degree of general irresponsibility. On the other end of the spectrum, caregivers tended to demonstrate emotional and technical support for victims. This study is useful in providing a quantitative analysis of perpetrators in elder abuse to help better understand the victimology of the subject, as Jackson (2016) called for.
Jackson, S. L. (2016). All elder abuse perpetrators are not alike: the heterogeneity of
elder abuse perpetrators and implications for intervention. International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology, 60(3), 265-285.
This study points out that not all victimization experiences can be identified as criminal cases, but that does not mean they should be ignored. Jackson makes the argument that to better understand why victims allow perpetrators of elder abuse to go unreported, the relationships between victim and perpetrator need to be better understood. The study also indicates that by only focusing on the victims of elder abuse, the actual problem will not be solved because perpetrators are often “embedded in the victim’s social network” (p. 278). Thus, the victimology of elder abuse is a complex phenomenon that can only be disentangled by better understanding the perpetrator and the fact that treatment must be focused on both victim and perpetrator. Also, the study shows that culpability varies by degrees among perpetrators and that it is wrong to label all perpetrators of elder abuse as “all bad” as there is not always an intention to harm the victim in every case.
Jackson, S. L., & Hafemeister, T. L. (2014). How case characteristics differ across four
types of elder maltreatment: Implications for tailoring interventions to increase victim safety. Journal of applied gerontology, 33(8), 982-997.
This study focused on forms of elder abuse and the victim’s awareness, unawareness or feeling of a need to protect the perpetrator. The study showed that in most cases of financial exploitation or theft, the victim was typically alone and unaware of the theft. In cases of physical abuse, the victim tended to want to protect the perpetrator from prosecution and thus was reluctant to report the abuse. In cases of neglect, the victim was typically living with the perpetrator but was routinely isolated. In cases of co-occurring forms of abuse such as financial exploitation and physical abuse or neglect, the victim and perpetrator tended to have a co-dependent relationship. This study is useful for explaining the victim’s role in elder abuse and also for shedding some light on the perpetrator’s role as well, as seen through the victim’s eyes as well as through his or her own.
Jackson, S. L., & Hafemeister, T. L. (2015). The impact of relationship dynamics on the
detection and reporting of elder abuse occurring in domestic settings. Journal of elder abuse & neglect, 27(2), 121-145.
In this study, the researchers interviewed Adult Protective Services case workers, clients and third party persons. The study revealed that the relationship between the victim and the perpetrator tended to impact whether the crime of elder abuse went reported or unreported. Two different relationships were identified as meaningful in the study—the relationship between the victim and the perpetrator and the relationship between the victim and the reporter. By better understanding these relationships, the researchers argue that reporting instances of elder abuse could be improved across the board.
Pavsic Mrevlje, T., & Nivala, J. (2017). Victimisation of the elderly in the municipalities
of Ljubljana and Uppsala. International review of victimology, 23(1), 33-46.
This study focused on elder abuse in Slovenia and found that the most common perpetrator of elder abuse was a stranger and the second most common perpetrator was a child of the victim. The study also revealed that the most common form of abuse was theft. Another area of focus was the reason that individuals failed to report elder abuse: some stated that it was pointless, others noted that the abuse had already be reported by someone else, and some believed it was a family matter and that others should not intervene.
World Health Organization. (2002). World report on violence and health. Retrieved
from http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/42495/9241545615_eng.pdf;jsessionid=850EE8DE7BE263F45077CAAF20D50343?sequence=1
This study provides a definition of elder abuse, discusses the prevalence of elder abuse, and frames the discussion in the context of how traditional societies viewed family responsibilities. The study identifies individual factors, relationship factors, and societal factors as risk factors in elder abuse. Gender, mental health, and living arrangements are some of the main individual factors that increase risk, while caregiver stress is another risk factor. Likewise, victims who suffer from dementia and who act violently towards their care giver can trigger a violent response from the care giver, which puts the victim’s own tendency to use violence as a potential risk factor for abuse.
Zeller, J., Lamb, K. (2011). Mindfulness meditation to improve care quality of life in
long-term care settings. Geriatric Nursing, 32(2): 114-118.
This study looks at how mindfulness training can help care givers to be better prepared to treat and care for the elderly population so as to reduce the risk of elder abuse. Mindfulness meditation is identified as a preventive technique that can be taught to care providers to help them cope with stress and improve the quality of care that they give to their elderly patients. The article is useful in supporting the argument of Baer (2003) that mindfulness is needed among more care givers of elder persons because in many cases elder abuse occurs more as an error in care giving due to stress than as a premeditated act.
Part 3
Methodology
Data Gathering
I plan to gather data for my study by using the survey method. As the purpose of this study is to identify the variables that are most impactful in elder abuse and determine how to best address these variables so as to help the victims via the use of prevention techniques. The survey population will be (a) victims of elder abuse so as to better understand their perspective of the perpetrators of elder abuse, and (b) care providers or if possible perpetrators of elder abuse. The survey method will provide a list of questions that can be asked to the participant in the form of a structured interview. One set of questions will be asked to victims, and another set to care providers or perpetrators if possible. The questions will be closed and responses will be ranked using a 5-point Likert scale. This will allow the data to be quantified and analyzed using various statistical methods.
Participants in the study’s sample will be obtained by using snowball sampling. Participants will be contacted using the assistance of Adult Protective Services in the local area and by discussing the study with individuals connected to the field in various organizations in the local area. Participants will be informed about the nature of the study and their informed consent will be obtained before their participation in the interview begins.
Statistical Methods
Mean analysis. This type of statistical analysis focuses on identifying the average or “mean” of a sum of data. For instance, if responses gathered are ranked using the Likert scale, the “mean” or average ranking of responses for each question can be supplied, which would indicate the general type of response given from the sample.
This type of analysis is helpful for determining an overall characteristic of a population with regard to the types of questions that are asked of it or with regard to a specific issue that is being measured.
Standard deviation. This method of statistical analysis focuses on the data around the mean: how far does the data spread out? Standard deviation is helpful for determining whether data points are clustered mainly around the average or if there is a wide dispersion of data points with a wide range. The more clustered around the mean the data is the more likely the mean is to be a meaningful indicator of the general trend. The wider the dispersion and higher the standard deviation, the less likely the trend depicted by the mean is to be meaningful.
Regression. Regression analysis is used to identify a relationship between dependent variables and independent variables. A scatterplot is typically produced to indicate data points with a regression line that shows where the relationship between variables is strongest or weakest. Regression is helpful for determining how variables interact with regard to a particular phenomenon.
Hypothesis testing. The most common form of hypothesis testing is the t-test, which researchers use to assess whether the data obtained from different groups has statistical significance. Usually this means that the data has a p-value < 0.05 when alpha is set at 0.05. Alpha refers to the significance level—i.e., 95% significance is typically the target, or less than 5% deviation in order for the data set to indicate that the hypothesis can be accepted (Lang & Altman, 2016).
Advantages and Disadvantages
Mean. The advantage of mean analysis is that it is easy to calculate and analyze and that it can be provide a sense of the overall trend of a population in terms of what the data indicates. The mean will show whether a population tends to fall one way or another with respect to the question that is being asked in the study. It gives a general sense of where the population is in relation to the study’s research question.
The disadvantage of this type of analysis is that it might not be very accurate, especially if there are many outliers which would cause the average to skew significantly. There is also the danger of the population not having a high enough sample for the average to be significant or meaningful.
Standard deviation. The advantage here is that it helps to indicate whether the trend in the data is meaningful and whether the average indicates a trend. The disadvantage is that outliers can ruin the accuracy of this statistic. Therefore, this should be paired with other measures and never taken alone; plus, it also requires a suitable sample size to be meaningful.
Regression. The advantage of regression is that it helps to give a quantifiable, empirical sense of how well two or more variables relate to one another with respect to a particular phenomenon. The disadvantage of regression is that it does not take into consideration the quality or characteristics of data sources but only the data points. For example, it may not measure all the variables that might be important to a particular phenomenon but rather
Hypothesis testing. The advantage of the t-test is that it gives the researcher a degree of certainty regarding the statistical significance of the findings. The disadvantage is that a suitable sample size is required and false returns can be a hazard.
Preferred Method
My preferred method is to identify the mean with standard deviation also being used to clarify the meaningfulness of the mean. I would use these two methods together because they would provide a general indicator of the trend associated with the population being discussed in this study—victims and care givers or perpetrators—and their attitudes regarding elder abuse. I would provide the mean and standard deviation for every survey question to indicate where the general consensus is among those participants in the study.


References
Aas, G. (2018). The Norwegian police and victims of elder abuse in close and familial
relationships. Journal of elder abuse & neglect, 30(1), 20-41.
Anand, V., Ashforth, B., Joshi, M. (2005). Business as usual: The acceptance and
perpetuation of corruption in organizations. Academy of Management Executive, 19(4): 9-23.
Baer, R. A. (2003).  Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: a conceptual and
empirical review. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 10(2): 125-143.
DeLiema, M., Yonashiro-Cho, J., Gassoumis, Z. D., Yon, Y., & Conrad, K. J. (2017).
Using latent class analysis to identify profiles of elder abuse perpetrators. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, 73(5), e49-e58.
Jackson, S. L. (2016). All elder abuse perpetrators are not alike: the heterogeneity of
elder abuse perpetrators and implications for intervention. International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology, 60(3), 265-285.
Jackson, S. L., & Hafemeister, T. L. (2014). How case characteristics differ across four
types of elder maltreatment: Implications for tailoring interventions to increase victim safety. Journal of applied gerontology, 33(8), 982-997.
Jackson, S. L., & Hafemeister, T. L. (2015). The impact of relationship dynamics on the
detection and reporting of elder abuse occurring in domestic settings. Journal of elder abuse & neglect, 27(2), 121-145.
Lang, T., & Altman, D. (2016). Statistical analyses and methods in the published
literature: The SAMPL guidelines. Medical Writing, 25, 31-36.
Pavši? Mrevlje, T., & Nivala, J. (2017). Victimisation of the elderly in the municipalities
of Ljubljana and Uppsala. International review of victimology, 23(1), 33-46.
World Health Organization. (2002). World report on violence and health. Retrieved
from http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/42495/9241545615_eng.pdf;jsessionid=850EE8DE7BE263F45077CAAF20D50343?sequence=1
Zeller, J., Lamb, K. (2011). Mindfulness meditation to improve care quality of life in
long-term care settings. Geriatric Nursing, 32(2): 114-118.