Prevalence and Factors Associated With Elder Self-Neglect Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

Purpose To report the prevalence and risk factors of elder self-neglect (ESN) among community-dwelling older adults ( N = 604). Method The current cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2019 to October 2020 in Lanzhou City, China. ESN was determined by the Scale of Elderly Self-Neglect, which evaluates five dimensions: (a) medical health and care, (b) environmental sanitation and personal hygiene, (c) mental health, (d) safety, and (e) social engagement. Frailty was assessed using the Physical Frailty Phenotype scale. Participants were asked whether they had bothersome and activity-limiting pain over the past 1 month. Characteristics associated with ESN were identified through multiple linear regression analyses. Results Mean age of participants was 71.34 years ( SD = 7.15 years), and 255 (57.8%) were female. The prevalence of ESN among participants was 16.2%. Among the five dimensions of ESN, medical health and care accounted for the largest proportion (44%). Approximately 58% of participants were pre-frail and 11.4% were frail, and 45% reported experiencing bothersome pain. Older adults with a household monthly income per capita <2,000 RMB (β = −0.112, p < 0.05), larger waist circumference (β = 0.185, p < 0.001), pre-frailty (β = 0.176, p < 0.001), frailty (β = 0.420, p < 0.001), and pain (β = 0.102, p < 0.05) were more prone to ESN. Conclusion ESN is a prevalent issue among community-dwelling older adults. Frailty, pain, low economic status, and larger waist circumference are identified as independent risk factors for ESN. There is a need to improve the understanding of ESN among health care providers and policymakers. Personalized interventions aimed at preventing or addressing these risk factors may lead to improvements in ESN outcomes. [ Journal of Gerontological Nursing, xx (x), xx–xx.]