best. For example, fewer than 15 studies on elder mistreatment have been funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) since 1990, and support from other agencies has been even less substantial. As a result, elder mistreatment research has thus far been confined to a small community of investigators who have produced a modest body of knowledge concerning the phenomenology, magnitude, etiology, and consequences of elder mistreatment. Estimates of mistreated elders have been based on sample surveys in local areas and projected to the total U.S. population. Preventive and remedial interventions have been unsystematic, episodic, and poorly evaluated. In recognition of these deficiencies, the National Institute on Aging requested the National Research Council, through the Committee on National Statistics, to establish a panel of experts to assess the current state of knowledge in the area of elder mistreatment and to formulate a set of recommendations for a research agenda in that field.

When the body of published and unpublished research reports on elder mistreatment is examined as a whole, a number of weaknesses emerge:

• Unclear and inconsistent definitions

• Unclear and inadequate measures

• Incomplete professional accounts

• Lack of population-based data

• Lack of prospective data

• Lack of control groups

• Lack of systematic evaluation studies

Among the factors accounting for these deficiencies are:

• Little funding and few investigators

• Methodological uncertainties, especially about surveys

• Ethical uncertainties regarding research practices

• Inadequate links between researchers and service agencies

• Impoverished theory

• Intertwined and varying research definitions and statutory definitions

• Divergent research traditions in gerontology and family violence

In order the rectify these problems and to propel the field forward, the panel recommends the following agenda for research.

Basic research on the phenomenology of elder mistreatment is a critical early step in the further development of the field. Such research will lead to

Front Matter (R1-R16)

Executive Summary (1-8)

1. Introduction (9-33)

2. Concepts, Definitions, and Guidelines for Measurement (34-59)

3. A Theoretical Model of Elder Mistreatment (60-70)

4. The Occurrence of Elder Mistreatment (71-87)

5. Risk Factors for Elder Mistreatment (88-103)

6. Screening and Case Identification in Clinical Settings (104-120)

7. Evaluating Interventions (121-139)

8. Research Ethics (140-149)

9. Moving Forward (150-152)

References (153-164)

Appendix A: Elder Mistreatment Measures and Studies (165-180)

Appendix B: Analysis of Elder Abuse and Neglect Definitions Under State Law (181-237)

Appendix C: Elder Abuse and Neglect: History and Concepts (238-248)

Appendix D: Biographical Sketches (249-258)

10. Elder Mistreatment: Epidemiological Assessment Methodology (259-302)

11. Ethical and Policy Issues in Research on Elder Abuse and Neglect (303-338)

12. The Clinical and Medical Forensics of Elder Abuse and Neglect (339-381)

13. Financial Abuse of the Elderly in Domestic Settings (382-445)

14. Elder Abuse in Residential Long-Term Care Settings: What Is Known and What Information Is Needed? (446-500)

15. Elder Abuse Intervention: Lessons from Child Abuse and Domestic Violence Initiatives (501-526)

Index (527-552)