AUTHOR=Yan Chang , Wang Caili , Ding Xinshu , Sun Lefei , Gao Wei , Liu Deshan 

TITLE=Profiles in neglect of older adult care workers in a long-term care facility: a latent profile analysis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2024

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1320896

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2024.1320896

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=Neglect is a common form of elderly abuse, and long-term care facilities record higher incidences of this abuse. Given that older adult care workers are the main workforce in these facilities, their neglectful behavior requires public health attention. Internal individual characteristics can lead to older adult abuse, and managing workers who abuse older adults may require various methods. This study aimed to identify profiles of neglect among older adult care workers in long-term care facilities and explore the influencing factors of neglect.In this cross-sectional study, a convenience sample of older adult care workers from 15 long-term care facilities in Shandong Province (N = 421) completed a questionnaire on the characteristics associated with neglect. Latent profile analysis was used to identify distinct neglect profiles and promote the understanding of individual characteristics associated with varying levels of neglect. One-way analysis of variance and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to examine the population characteristic differences.Older adult care workers exhibited three neglect profiles labeled as "lowrisk group," "medium-risk group," and "high-risk group." Males, participants with no employment qualification certificate and those who did not attend regular training represented the majority of those in the "high-risk group." Participants with a monthly income of more than 4000 yuan and nursing 1-2 older adults simultaneously represented the majority of those in the "low-risk group."Long-term care facility administrators should tailor interventions to individual care worker profiles to reduce neglect behaviors and improve care levels.