Trapped at Home: Individual and Situational Factors Associated With Violence Against Older Adults in Brazil

Abstract

Violence against older adults often occurs within domestic and family settings, but less is known about how these contexts vary by age and gender. This study examines the associations of age and gender with residential occurrence and family-related offending in Brazil. Using nationwide administrative health records for individuals aged 60 and older in 2024, we estimate logistic regression models for both outcomes. Women have higher odds than men of experiencing violence in residential settings and reporting family-related offenders. Older age is also associated with higher odds of residential occurrence across several forms of violence. By contrast, the age gradient in family-related offending does not extend across violence types and is concentrated mainly in psychological violence among individuals aged 80 and older. The findings show that the location of violence and the relationship between victim and offender follow different patterns across later life.