Behavioral symptoms in patients with dementia are associated with care partner abusive behaviors

J Elder Abuse Negl. 2025 Aug 7:1-22. doi: 10.1080/08946566.2025.2541166. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Abuse of older adults with dementia is an increasingly prevalent public health concern in the United States. The current study examined whether care recipient behavioral symptoms (e.g. aggressive or agitated behaviors) predicted abusive behaviors by care partners. Participants comprised 379 care partners- individuals who identified as being a primary caregiver for a person with dementia. Results indicate that most participants reported engaging in at least one abusive behavior toward their care recipient. Behavioral symptoms in care recipients were a significant predictor of abusive behavior perpetrated by the care partner, even after controlling for a large number of covariates. Care partner depressive symptoms significantly mediated the relationship between care recipient behavioral symptoms and care partner abusive behavior. Our results suggest that physician screening for depression in care partners and referral to appropriate resources may be one avenue for decreasing the risk of abuse toward care recipients.

PMID:40772682 | DOI:10.1080/08946566.2025.2541166