Development and psychometric properties of the Malaysian elder abuse scale

Tengku Aizan Hamid, Yadollah Abolfathi Momtaz, Rahimah Ibrahim, Mariani Mansor, Asnarulkhadi Abu Samah, Nurizan Yahaya, Siti Farra Zillah Abdullah

Department of Human Development & Family Studies, Faculty of Human Ecology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia.
Department of Resource Management & Consumer Studies, Faculty of Human Ecology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia.
Department of Social and Development Sciences, Faculty of Human Ecology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia.
Institute of Gerontology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia.

DOI: 10.4236/ojpsych.2013.33027                

Abstract

Elder abuse is an emerging issue of serious concern with life-threatening consequences. This study aimed to develop and assess the validity and reliability of a new scale to assess elder abuse. A cross-sectional multistage sampling technique was used to obtain a nationally representative sample of older Malaysians. The iterative development process resulted in a 16-item, four-dimension scale. Exploratory factor analysis yielded a 10-item scale with three factors. The value of Cronbach’s alpha for total scale and its subscales indicated sufficient internal consistency. Multitrait scaling analysis also showed good convergent and discriminant validity. Furthermore, predictive validity of the proposed scale was established by demonstrating a statistically significant association between elder abuse and depression through multiple logistic regression analysis. The findings from this study demonstrate an acceptable level of validity and reliability for new scale. This scale can be used by health and social care workers to identify elder abuse cases.

Keywords

Elder Abuse; Elderly; Psychometric Properties; Scale Development

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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