O. Osunde

Older adults are one of the populations at risk in most traditional African societies, with growing issues of various forms of abuse and neglect that exacerbate their already deteriorating conditions, being perpetrated by their family members and caregivers. Hence the study examined prevalence of older adult abuse and social work intervention in Etinan Local Government Area, Akwa-Ibom State, Nigeria. The study adopted the quantitative and qualitative research methods, where the cross-sectional research design was adopted in collecting quantitative data. The phenomenology research design was employed for the collection of qualitative data. The study area was in Etinan Local Government Area, AkwaIbom State, Nigeria, covering ten major streets in five communities in Etinan Local Government Area. The target participants were older adults within the age range of 65 years and above, who were victims and those who had knowledge and experience of older adult abuse. A sample size of 400 respondents and 10 informants were adopted for the quantitative and qualitative data respectively, while the simple random and purposive sampling techniques were adopted in selecting the respondents and informants. The research instrument for collecting the quantitative data was a structured questionnaire on a one-time survey and face to face basis, while the qualitative data was collected with the aid of an unstructured in-depth interview guide. Quantitative data collected was analyzed with the statistical packages of social sciences (SPSS) version 22, and the results were presented using percentages, tables, frequency distribution, cross tabulations, charts and descriptive statistics. Thematic and phenomenological methods of data analysis were used to analyze the qualitative data obtained from the field. The findings emphasized that various forms of elder abuse especially emotional, physical, and financial, were perceived as serious challenges affecting older adults’ well-being, demanding increased awareness, prevention efforts, and policy interventions.The findings indicated that socio-cultural, economic, and institutional factors jointly contributed to the mistreatment of older adults. It also revealed a strong consensus that elder abuse lead to broad and lasting harm across emotional, social, and physical domains among older adults. It revealed gaps in institutional and communal support that require policy attention and education initiatives. The study recommended that government and relevant stakeholders should organize community workshops targeting families, caregivers, and older adults to raise awareness about elder abuse, its signs, and consequences.