A Phenomenological Content Analysis of Elder Abuse during COVID-19 Pandemic in India.

The entire globe has been fighting the COVID-19 pandemic for the last two years including India. It has resulted in a slew of social problems for the millions of people in society. Elder abuse is one of them. Elder abuse due to COVID-19 pandemic is a matter of grave concern in Indian society. Today, due to COVID-19 pandemic, older people are facing social rejection, mental torture and abusive behaviour by family members, relatives, neighbours and caregivers. The objectives of present study are to examine the nature of elder abuse due to COVID-19 pandemic under the theoretical framework of anomie theory and to explore its outcome on the well-being of older people. The study uses phenomenological content analysis method. The information has been gathered from many Indian newspapers, magazines and news portals. The researchers examined the content of news stories about elder abuse that were published between 1 April 2021 and 15 May, 2021 and analysed the results. The study finds that older people have been abused due to fear of COVID-19 infection, poor financial condition and irresponsibility of caregivers. Most often, elders suffer abuse at the hands of their loved ones, neighbours and caregivers.

Introduction

The global calamity of the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on not just health, but also on social, economic and familial life (Joshi, 2020; Makaroun et al., 2020; Sharma, 2021). During this calamity, people from all walks of life, of all ages, have felt the pang of despair, and they have suffered from loneliness (Kowsalya & Sundara Raj, 2021; Sharma, 2021). In addition, instances of sensitivity and insecurity are included in this list of factors that risk life and well-being. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, people are experiencing homelessness, diminished immunity, economic reliance, and emotional and mental health issues (Armitage & Nellums, 2020; Sharma, 2021). The older people have been hit the hardest by this pandemic, which has had all the worst consequences. Older people have suffered more from mental illnesses than they have from physical illnesses during this pandemic (Du & Chen, 2021; Sharma, 2021). Due to this pandemic, the older people have experienced many problems such as abuse, neglect, insecurity and health related issues in their family and society (Makaroun et al., 2020; Sharma, 2021). Fear, anxiety, loneliness, increased reliance and abuse in the minds of the older people have all been widely observed because of this pandemic, and they have emerged as a significant challenge in society. Social isolation, cognitive impairment, physical fragility and a reliance on others for care are all variables that increase the likelihood of elder abuse (Chandan et al., 2020; Chang et al., 2021; Malik et al., 2020; The Lancet, 2020).

It is needed to address the concept of elder abuse and its prevalence in the context of older people to comprehend and analyse the incidence of elder abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic from a theoretical standpoint. World Health Organisation (2002) has explained that ‘abuse is a single or repeated act or lack of appropriate action, occurring within a relationship where there is an expectation of trust, which causes harm or distress to an elderly'. Moreover, International Network for Prevention of Elderly Abuse (1997) has stated that elder abuse is “abusive and neglectful behaviour, violation of human, legal and medical rights and deprivation of the elderly”. According to studies (Agewell Foundation, 2021; Helpage India, 2021) conducted during this COVID-19 pandemic in India that involved abuse, disdain and neglect, these incidences were determined to be a severe concern among the older people. The cases of elder abuse during COVID-19 pandemic have deprived the older people in family and family to live a dignified life.

According to the Agewell Foundation (2021), at least 73% of the aged population reported that they had been abused during the lockdown which was imposed to control the spread of corona virus. According to 61% of older people respondents have pointed out that interpersonal interaction has decreased during pandemic which is contributing factor to increased incidents of elder abuse in families. Agewell Foundation (2021) has also reported that 65% of these old people were subjected to neglect in their everyday lives, and at least 58% of them indicated that they were subjected to abuse in their families and in society at large. Similarly, Helpage India conducted a survey of 3526 older people persons in six cities, namely, Bengaluru, Chennai Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai during the pandemic. According to report of Helpage India, more than 60% of respondents believe the likelihood of elder abuse has increased during pandemic. This survey also found that around 43.1% of the older people believe they are mistreated in society and 15.6% reported being abused. This revealed an alarming trend that 43.8% of aged parents were mistreated by their sons- (43.8%) and daughters-in-law (27.8%), while 14.2% older people reported that their daughters misbehaved with them.

Theoretical Background

Anomic paradigm and elder abuse during COVID-19: Anomic condition in family and societal interaction has emerged due to COVID-19 pandemic. Anomic conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic are said to have resulted in a range of challenges for the older people, including a lack of adequate care, individualism, and neglect in the family and community. COVID-19 pandemic has affected the human behaviour on an individual and social level, resulting in an anomic condition in society. Abuse, humiliation, exploitation and disrespect of the older people have undoubtedly occurred because of the anomic situation created by the COVID-19 pandemic in front of the whole socio-family system. Elder abuse in current pandemic is a result of normlessness situation that is becoming more prevalent because of changes in family structure and social structure overtime. Through the anomic paradigm, we can gain a thorough understanding about the nature of elder abuse during COVID-19 pandemic in Indian society.

Anomic condition comes due to sudden and unexpected economic changes which lead to quick and extreme changes in society and everyday life (Durkheim, 1951; Crossman, 2020). This pandemic has decreased sense of belongingness and social integration due to sudden and unexpected changes across the human society. This pandemic has also brought sudden and unexpected changes in Indian family and society, and it has broken down organic solidarity in micro or individual level and macro or social level. These changes have made an anomic environment in family values and social norms of Indian social structure. These changes have led to many problems such as sadness, worry, fear, anger, frustration, helplessness, loneliness, rumours and social distancing (Mamun and Griffiths, 2020).

With the help of micro or individual level and macro or social level of anomic paradigm or anomie theory, one can better understand the nature of elder abuse caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the well-being of older people (refer to diagram-1). The framework describes elder abuse due to the drastic changes that have occurred in society during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Micro or individual level:. Any social problem is studied based on individual factors under the micro level of anomic paradigm. The micro level analyzes in depth each such aspect which gives rise to a social problem, and this is related to the personal or family environment of a particular person. When abuse with older people is studied from the micro level, it is found that there are two bases of elder abuse during COVID-19 pandemic, one is fear of infection from COVID-19 disease and the other is negligence due to myths related to COVID-19 pandemic.

It is possible to gain insight into the prevalence of elder abuse during this pandemic by examining the micro or individual level of the anomic paradigm. The unfavourable changes that have occurred in society due to COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in a negative change in the behaviour of the persons. When this pandemic first broke out, people were terrified of the horrors that lay ahead because it was a new disease about which no one was familiar with at the time. If a person is suffering from COVID-19 disease or is suspected of suffering from COVID-19 disease in such a situation, that person is subjected to abuse in his or her family and in society. In addition, so many myths have been spread about COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in a negative attitude in the person’s behaviour toward others or, more specifically, towards the sick person (Patel & Kumar, 2021a). People have been abused and subjected to emotional, verbal and physical abuse because of the negativity of this COVID-19 pandemic (Patel & Kumar, 2021a; Sahoo & Patel, 2021b). All these factors contributed to a person’s increasing distance from his or her family and society. The impact of such family and social distances on the lives of the older people has been the most severe of all. If an aged person becomes ill during this pandemic, it is likely that his or her family members did not provide adequate care for the elderly. If an aged person sought any assistance from his or her family members, he or she would have to endure emotional, verbal and physical abuse because of their actions.

Macro or social level:. Any social problem can be studied from the perspective of the whole society under the macro level of anomic paradigm. The macro level analyzes those changes which take place in the society due to socio-economic changes affect the social structure and value system. When changes in the social structure and value system start taking place then they start affecting the family life and social life of a person as well. Due to these changes, the biggest impact is on family life and social life of elderly. Many times, older people mould themselves according to these changes and live their life according to them. But sometimes a lot of older people are not able to leave their traditional lifestyle and due to which they are unable to absorb themselves in the family. Due to this, the distance starts increasing between the older people and the family members. Those aspects of social change can be investigated that occurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic that had a negative impact on the individual and society on the basis of the macro or social level of the anomic paradigm. As a result of COVID-19 pandemic, there have been some social changes that resulted in a complete transformation of the way people lived.

People began to follow rules such as social distance and quarantine to prevent the outbreak of this pandemic, which resulted in a decrease in the number of connections that people had with one another earlier. Rules like social distance and quarantine have had a negative impact on the lives of older people. Because of this pandemic and to avoid spreading the disease, family members have stopped leaving the house to care for the elderly. As a result of the spread of Covid-19, the older people are thought to be the most vulnerable group of society. Isolation and disconnection of aged people are contributing to their deterioration a circumstance that is improper in society (Kowsalya & Sundara Raj, 2021). Already, the period of neglect for the older people is supplemental and it has the potential to grow in a precarious position (Kowsalya & Sundara Raj, 2021). Furthermore, if an aged person is suffering from a disease or is showing symptoms of COVID-19 disease, his family members may abandon him to live in isolation from other family members for fear of spreading COVID-19 disease. Older people who appear to be in perfect health have been also separated from the rest of the family. If they say do not separate us from the family, they are abused by family members.

Based on anomic paradigm (refer to diagram-1), it can be said that the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in numerous negative changes in the behaviour of individuals and society, which have resulted in a deterioration of social relations among the general population. Many issues have arisen because of the deterioration of social relations that has occurred because of COVID-19 pandemic. Elder abuse is one of them. Consequently, the older people have faced many problems such as abuse, neglect, carelessness and humiliation in family and society due to COVID-19 made anomic environment.

Research Method

Phenomenological content analysis:. The current research has used the phenomenological content analysis (PCA) (Dansby et al., 2017) to decipher the nature of elder abuse in Indian society during COVID-19 pandemic. This method is appropriate for the present study because the goal of this study is to gather news coverage of elder abuse as a social phenomenon during the COVID-19 pandemic. PCA examines specific social phenomena as it existed in each time via the use of records like as newspapers, books, magazines and other types of written materials. This analysis interprets many dimensions of any occurrence, including people’s perceptions, attitudes, beliefs, sentiments and emotions, since individuals observe, define, interpret and create meanings for existent phenomena that affect their lives (Denscombe, 2007). For example, elder abuse during COVID-19 pandemic as experienced by the older people imply how things seem to us. The purpose of this research is to utilise phenomenological content analysis to systematically investigate the nature of elder abuse by examining cultural, environmental and social aspects of elder abuse during COVID-19 pandemic in Indian society. The current research used content analysis with a transcendental phenomenological perspective to examine newspaper articles on elder abuse during COVID-19 pandemic. The process of phenomenological content analysis can be understood through following diagram (Diagram- 2).

Data collection and procedure:. The main aim of employing phenomenological content analysis is to comprehend the nature and pattern of elder abuse in India during the COVID-19 pandemic. The researcher wanted to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the well-being of older adults and their families. During the study period (1st April–15th May 2021), no other sources of empirical data were accessible in India, and field visits were also impractical owing to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide lockdown. As a result, this technique of data collection was deemed to be the most appropriate for collecting empirical data on the studied subject within the specified time. This method enables the author to conduct the scientific research using observation, scientific view and fact examine on the issue of elder abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The researcher began collecting data for this study in the first week of April 2021, after one of the researcher’s 66-year-old neighbours was treated inhumanely by his family members due to fear of corona infection. Following this event, the researcher began collecting data on a consistent basis while reading daily newspapers and periodicals. The sample cases for this research were gathered manually by reading each news segment published in the aforementioned newspapers about elder abuse as a result of COVID-19. The researcher discovered common keywords used by Indian journalists when reporting on similar instances from offline newspapers and utilised those terms to search for material on internet platforms. Utilise keywords such as banned, threat, entrance, abuse, denial, stigma, assault and discrimination while doing an internet search for elder abuse induced by COVID-19 (Sahoo & Patel, 2021b).

Additionally, social scientists, medical professionals and academicians have shared their phenomenological view on elder abuse during COVID-19 pandemic on the editorial pages of India’s leading newspapers and magazines. The author was able to readily obtain data on elder abuse during COVID-19 pandemic that occurred over a certain time by using phenomenological content analysis. Newspapers consistently reported on potential causes for elder abuse and its consequences during the pandemic (fear of corona infection, frustration, social distancing and lack of care owing to the COVID-19 pandemic). Thus, during the COVID-19 pandemic, newspapers and magazines were a critical source of information about elder abuse.

The author was able to easily collect data on incidents of elder abuse that happened within a certain time by using PCA. Newspapers have regularly reported on possible causes of elder abuse throughout the current pandemic and have established themselves as a key source of information on elder abuse because of COVID-19. The researcher identified patterns and types of elder abuse due to COVID-19 through analysis and observation of everyday news articles, and he used this information to develop content for his study, which included the victim’s sex, the nature of elder abuse, the cause of elder abuse, and the abuser. The researcher searched through Hindi language newspapers (Amar Ujala, Dainik Bhaskar, Dainik Jagran and Patrika), English language newspapers (Hindustan Times and The Times of India), and other news websites between 1st April and 15th May 2021. The researcher compiled 56 instances of elder abuse from media reports in two states, namely Delhi and Uttar Pradesh that is presented in Table 1 and Figures 1–2.

Table 1.

Victim’s Profile.

Victim’s Profile	Number of Cases	Percentage
Elderly male	33	58.93
Elderly female	17	30.36
Elderly couple	6	10.71
Total	56

Figure 1.

Nature of elder abuse during COVID-19.

Figure 2.

Abuser of elderly during Covid-19.

Due to the outbreak of the corona virus and the ensuing countrywide lockdown, primary data could not be collected. Consequently, the researcher looked to secondary data sources for the study. The cases of elder abuse have been carefully compiled from the news articles of various newspapers. The researcher studied each case from two or three newspapers and other sources using observation, scientific view and fact examination. This has aided the study in establishing the validity of acquired data on elder abuse and ensuring the trustworthiness of gathered data.

Findings

During the second wave of this epidemic, according to the data in Table 1, 58.93% (33) aged men and 30.36% (17) aged women were abused in their families and communities. In addition to this, the study discovered that there are 10.71% (6) such aged couples who were left alone by their families and who did not receive any assistance, because of which their condition got quite pitiful, and their mental health became very weak. The Figure 1 shows that the around 46.43% of older people are the ones who have been most neglected due to fear of COVID-19 infection or suspect of COVID-19 during the second wave of the pandemic in India. Furthermore, the older people have been also subjected to economic based abuse (32.14%) and irresponsibility-based abuse (21.43%) because of COVID-19 pandemic as pointed out in Figure 1. Many older people have been subjected to abusive behaviour including beatings, isolation from their families and disregarding their medical care by members of their family and society (Helpage India, 2021). The study has found that during this pandemic, due to fear, anxiety, loneliness and increasing dependence on others, the older people have been treated neglected by their family members and neighbourhood members. Additionally, many have experienced the loss of loved ones during the pandemic and have struggled on a variety of levels.

The present study found that 32.14% (Figure 1) of the older people have also been abused during this pandemic due to economic reasons. Most aged women have been abused during COVID-19 pandemic for economic reasons. Older people have traditionally been abused for economic reasons, but incidences of economic abuse have surged during this pandemic. Previously, family members would defraud them and take their possessions and deposits from the elders. Throughout this pandemic, it has been found that when an aged person became ill, the family member failed to get him appropriately treated due to financial restrictions. Economic abuse has disproportionately affected older women, as the majority of aged women lack a source of income and rely on family members to meet their basic requirements.

According to the findings of the study, around 21.43% (Figure 1) of older people have found themselves ignored because of the carelessness of their families and caregivers. Many sick aged people were unable to receive effective treatment because of the widespread dread of the pandemic, according to the information that has been collected so far. If the older people said that they had called a doctor at home, their family members would not believe them, no matter how convincing they appeared to be. Members of the family were concerned that if the doctor or any other person visited their home, additional members of the family would become ill. Aside from that, the study discovered that many sick older people were dropped off by ambulance on the road and that many older people did not receive sufficient treatment while in the hospital because of this.

In this section, the study will discuss some of the most significant incidents involving various cases of elder abuse, including their nature, the relationship between the victim and the perpetrator, and the impact of elder abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic. These cases have been read and analysed by the researcher through the reading of newspapers, magazines and other news portals.

Incident1: Old man in UP carries wife’s body on cycle as villagers prevent cremation over fears of Covid (India Today, 2021, April 28). It was found in this news report that the villagers refused to let an aged person to perform the last rites of his wife because everyone believed that the aged woman was suffering from corona diseases and, as a result, they were terrified of the disease. The old man was riding his bicycle throughout town with his wife’s body in tow, but no one came to his aid. Incident 2: Cough, throw the old man on the road after getting a fever family members gone (Amar Ujala, 2021, May 6). This incident occurred in a district of Uttar Pradesh state. When information regarding this incident was made public, it was found that the old man had been suffering from coughing and fever for three to 4 days. When the old man became ill, the family members thought that the old man had been infected by the corona virus, and because of their concern, the family members abandoned the older people by the side of the road. Incident 3: Son- and daughter-in-law locked old mother fear of corona in Agra (Patrika, 2021, May 4). In this incident, it was found that a 75-year-old woman was infected with corona. When the old woman’s son- and daughter-in-law came to know about this, they got frightened and due to fear of corona, they took the opportunity and locked the old woman in a room and ran away. When the neighbours heard the voice of the old woman screaming, they broke the lock and went inside and got the old woman out and admitted to the hospital. In this incident, the police registered a case against the son- and daughter-in-law and it is being investigated. Incident 4: Old sick woman in the railway station was suffering the doctor did not cure due to fear of corona death (Dainik Bhaskar, 2021, March 27). It was found in this news content that an old woman who suddenly became ill at the Bilaspur railway station died in anguish because of her inability to receive timely medical attention. The ailment of the old woman was brought to the attention of the railway officials on the scene by her son. Despite this, neither the stretcher nor the doctor arrived in time to help the old woman. When the doctor arrived, he did not touch the old woman because he believed she was sick with the corona virus. As a result, her condition deteriorated because of this carelessness, and the old woman died as a result. Incident 5: Old couple husband and wife died at home in loneliness (Dainik Jagran, 2021, May 11). In this incident, it was found that the son of the old couple lived separately from them. The old couples, living alone in the house, were suffering fever about 15 days and had difficulty in breathing. When the neighbours opened the door after not being seen outside for a long time, they were shocked when they saw the dead body of the old couple lying on the ground with utensils in his hands to get water on the cot and nearby.

Discussion

Perhaps for the first time in human history, millions of people are living their lives in fear and tension all over the world because of this pandemic, which is affecting their mental health and impairing their ability to function properly. On the one hand, India is facing social and economic problems due to corona pandemic. On the other hand, this pandemic is also affecting the mental health of people negatively. People of every age group, whether they are children, teens, the elderly, or whether they are women, have been affected by this, impacting everyone’s mood and causing mental diseases such as fear, worry, stress, depression, confusion, sadness and psychosis. The lives of older people have been the most negatively impacted by this global pandemic, according to the World Health Organisation (2002). On the one hand, the older people are suffering from a variety of mental illnesses such as worry, anxiety and depression because of the epidemic, while on the other hand, they have been abused in a variety of ways in their families and communities because of COVID-19 made anomic situation. From the beginning, the COVID-19 epidemic has been characterised as an issue affecting older persons, and a clear age division, distinguishing between the young and the old (Zhou et al., 2020).

The analysis of the above discussed incidents of elder abuse as given by the newspapers and observing those incidents from individual level and social level of anomic paradigm in the changing social environment due to COVID-19 pandemic, there is a substantial increase in the cases of elder abuse against aged population in India. The incidents of elder abuse are affecting the physical and mental well-being of aged population in India and COVID-19 made fearful environment is flourishing in contemporary society. Today older people are insecure due to outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic everywhere every moment and they cannot roam anywhere happily. As study has found nature of elder abuse (Figure 1) such as COVID-19 fear based abuse (46.43%), financial based abuse (32.14%) and irresponsibility-based abuse (21.43%). These forms of elder abuse show how the mindset of family members, neighbours and caregivers is getting vitiated against older people during COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of this, many incidents of such elder abuse against older people are increasing in our family and society. It is clear from the incidents which are published in the newspapers that the structure of the Indian family and society is extremely affected due to COVID-19 made anomic condition and because of which the moral values and norms are disturbed. This is only reason that incidents of elder abuse in the form of COVID-19 fear based abuse, financial based abuse and irresponsibility-based abuse are increasing very fast against older people in our family and society during COVID-19.

The present study has examined news articles on elder abuse and found (Figure 2) that during the corona pandemic, the older people were harassed the most (41.07%) by family members such as sons and daughters-in-law. Additionally, 25% of servants, 17.86% of neighbours and 16.07% of family members mistreated the older people during second wave of COVID-19 pandemic. These statistics demonstrate how COVID-19 pandemic has fuelled public discontent, culminating in elder abuse. During COVID-19 pandemic, individuals withdrew from family and neighbourhood older people because of fear of corona infection, which has a detrimental effect on the elderly’s quality of life. Numerous similar instances have been reported in newspapers, in which individuals living in the same home were socially isolated because of COVID-19 pandemic. These social exclusions have a detrimental effect on the elderly. During the pandemic, the older people have been subjected to emotional and bodily anguish in their own homes by their own offspring.

Conclusion

The author has contextualised this research within the framework of anomic paradigm and employed the content analysis to gain a deeper understanding of the nature of elder abuse due to COVID-19 pandemic in Indian society. In this study, the limitation of study is restricted to two states only, in which cases were reported throughout the given time. According to the findings of the study, the increasing incidences of elder abuse in India because of COVID-19 are posing a serious challenge for sociologists and policymakers who are trying to figure out the underlying factors that lead to abusive and neglectful behaviour among the older people population. The nature of elder abuse during the pandemic has been investigated in the form of COVID-19 fear based abuse, financial based abuse and irresponsibility-based abuse, all of which were developed using the anomic paradigm. According to the findings of the study, elder abuse is a developing social phenomenon that has evolved because of the anomic condition that has built in India as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to findings of study, elder abuse towards the older person has been committed mostly by family members and by caregivers during the pandemic period. Most of the abusers are daughters-in-law, followed by sons, close relatives and caregivers. It has been observed in the study that the existing social system has been greatly influenced by unforeseen alterations by COVID-19 pandemic. In turn, it has produced gaps in our emotional bindings, which was important to holding the generations together before this pandemic. Moreover, elder abuse was apparently linked to a variety of other socio-psychological disorders seen in the senior population. In addition to these concerns, alienation, loneliness and despair are all issues related to anomic social environment which is made by COVID-19 pandemic, all of which result in a lower sense of well-being.

Implications for Practice

During COVID-19 pandemic, older people have faced many problems such as elder abuse and mental illness, which may require more targeted information and delivery strategies at both the individual and social levels (older people context). The goal is to protect the older people and their sense of belongingness. As a result, certain programmes may be recommended.

(1) Neighbourhood watch programmes should be established in collaboration with the government and civil society to assist in the development of safer communities for the older people in a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

(2) Every district under the supervision of a community development officer (CDO) should implement such psychological counselling programmes in which both family members and the older people can be counselled during any anomic environment, such as the time of the COVID-19 pandemic situation, to help them cope with their problems.

Limitations

The primary data could not be gathered owing to spread of corona virus and enforced nationwide lockdown. Therefore, the researcher has examined secondary source of data for the study. The study is based on phenomenological content analysis through various leading newspapers of India. For the trustworthiness of gathered data from in one source is checked with other sources also. The sample region was limited to select states. The sample regions selected is not a comprehensive picture of elder abuse during COVID-19 pandemic in India. Moreover, since there is a lack of Indian literature on the topic, the author has relied largely on existing research on elder abuse in current pandemic. Despite these limitations, the research did reveal some patterns surrounding elder abuse related to corona pandemic, which have been useful in evaluating the nature and reasons of elder abuse owing to COVID-19 in India.