The Gerontologist

Purpose: To examine racial differences in (a) the prevalence of financial exploitation and psychological mistreatment since turning 60 and in the past 6 months and (b) the experience—perpetrator, frequency, and degree of upset—of psychological mistreatment in the past 6 months. Design and methods: Random digit dial telephone recruitment and population-based survey (telephone and in-person) of 903 adults aged 60 years and older in Allegheny County (Pittsburgh), Pennsylvania (693 non-African American and 210 African American). Covariates included sex, age, edu-cation, marital status, household composition, cogni-tive function, instrumental activities of daily living/ activities of daily living difficulties, and depression symptoms. Results: Prevalence rates were signifi-cantly higher for African Americans than for non-African Americans for financial exploitation since turning 60 (23.0 % vs. 8.4%) and in the past 6 months (12.9 % vs. 2.4%) and for psychological mistreatment since turning 60 (24.4 % vs. 13.2%) and in the past 6 months (16.1 % vs. 7.2%). These differences remained once all covariates were controlled in logis-tic regression models. There were also racial differ-ences in the experience of psychological mistreatment in the past 6 months. Risk for clinical depression was also a consistent predictor of financial exploitation and psy-chological mistreatment. Implications: Although the results will need to be replicated in national sur-veys, the study suggests that racial differences in elder mistreatment are a potentially serious issue deserving of continued attention from researchers, health provid-ers, and social service professionals. Key Words: Elder mistreatment, Racial disparities, Risk factor model