A qualitative examination of the similarities and differences of elder abuse definitions among four groups: Nursing home directors, nursing home employees, police chiefs and students

A common claim found in the elder abuse literature is that different groups offer varying definitions of elder abuse. Very little research, however, has examined what these differences are and how the differences are manifested in Various settings. To fill this void, this research examines the definitions of elder abuse provided by respondents from four groups in the Commonwealth of Virginia: nursing home directors (n = 54), nursing home employees (n = 132), police chiefs (n = 64), and students enrolled in upper-level sociology and criminal justice courses (n = 127). Results of standard thematic content analysis examining the elder abuse definitions show significant differences in several areas. Primarily, nursing home directors are more likely to define elder abuse from an ethical perspective whereas police chiefs and students are more likely to define elder abuse from a legalistic perspective. Implications are provided.