Frontiers in sociology
The association between older adult abuse and emergency department attendance and mental health service use
By Sondh S, Mueller C, Li L and 3 others.
Abstract
Introduction
Older adult abuse is associated with a higher risk of mental health disorders but to date older adult abuse has not been investigated as a predictor of mental healthcare outcomes. The purpose of this study was to systematically ascertain recorded abuse and analyse its consequences in older people receiving mental healthcare.
Methods
In a large South London mental healthcare data platform, recorded older adult abuse was ascertained using natural language processing algorithms during the first 3 months of contact and investigated in relation to risk of subsequent emergency department attendance and 12-month mental health service contacts. Analyses were stratified by gender, ethnicity, marital status, and deprivation.