Strengthening Responses to Older Adult Abuse: A Review of Contextual Prevention Strategies in Australian Policy

Madeline Lee; Emily Moir; Nadine McKillop

doi:10.1002/ajs4.70145

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Strengthening Responses to Older Adult Abuse: A Review of Contextual Prevention Strategies in Australian Policy

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Strengthening Responses to Older Adult Abuse: A Review of Contextual Prevention Strategies in Australian Policy

Madeline Lee, Emily Moir and Nadine McKillop

Australian Journal of Social Issues, Vol.Advanced access

17-Oct-2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ajs4.70145

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Abstract

Causes and prevention of crime

Crime prevention

ageing

Contextual prevention

older adult abuse

situational crime prevention

social policy

Older adult abuse is a significant social issue that has attracted necessary attention in Australian policy. Yet, the scope of abuse prevention strategies proposed within these policies has not been systematically reviewed, nor has their alignment with evidence-informed frameworks been assessed. Given growing support for prevention efforts that target both individuals and contexts, strategies within 11 Australian policy documents were mapped against Rayment-McHugh et al.'s contextual prevention framework to assess the comprehensiveness of policy responses to older adult abuse and identify opportunities for enhancement. Overall, a balanced proportion of strategies were identified, targeting increased knowledge and resilience in individuals (n = 88) and addressing contextual risks to reduce opportunities for abuse (n = 86). However, most contextual strategies were macro-focused (n = 56), concerned with addressing social determinants of abuse (i.e., ageism and social isolation) and enhancing formal regulatory controls. Fewer strategies targeted micro-level risks present in the immediate environments where abusive behaviour manifests (n = 30), indicating an area for development. While the scope of identified policy measures is promising, greater emphasis on the situational dynamics of abuse may contribute to more proactive prevention frameworks and policy responses, thus furthering efforts to safeguard older adults.

Details

Title: Strengthening Responses to Older Adult Abuse: A Review of Contextual Prevention Strategies in Australian Policy
Authors: Madeline Lee (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Emily Moir (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Nadine McKillop (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast
Publication details: Australian Journal of Social Issues, Vol.Advanced access
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
DOI: 10.1002/ajs4.70145
ISSN: 1839-4655
Copyright note: © 2026 The Author(s). Australian Journal of Social Issues published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australian Social Policy Association. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Data Availability: The data that support the findings of this research are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Grants: Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship, RTP, Department of Education (Australia, Canberra)
Organisation Unit: School of Law and Society; Sexual Violence Research and Prevention Unit
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991268493502621
Output Type: Journal article

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