Introduction
Violence against the elderly is a single, repetitive act or omission of appropriate action that occurs in an interpersonal relationship and causes harm or discomfort to an elderly person. The lack of a clear definition is one of the challenges of this concept. The current study has been conducted to explain the concept, provide an operational explanation and present some empirical references to violence against the elderly with a hybrid approach.
Methods
This study used the hybrid concept analysis method, including three steps: theoretical, field research, and analytical. In the first step, the texts were reviewed using Walker and Avant’s approach. In the second step, unstructured interviews using purposive sampling were conducted. Finally, in the third step, the perceptual analysis method was used to integrate the results of the previous two steps.
Results
The results of the final analysis expressed the definition of violence against the disabled elderly and its components, which are violence against the disabled elderly living in the family, including a range of behaviors or actions threatening human dignity and status with or without a purpose that is applied in the living environment or related situations by family members, caregivers or others exposing the elderly to emotional-mental violence, physical violence, economic violence, sexual violence, social violence, neglect, and abandonment. It is observed as apparent or hidden, intermittent or continuous, and mild to severe. Being neglected, interactive separation, predisposing factors related to the elderly person, and predisposing factors related to the violent criminal lead to its occurrence and are associated with destructive personal, family, and social harms.
Discussion
The findings of this study can provide a clearer picture of the experiences of this group of elderly people who have all been exposed to violence in some way. Knowledge of the elderly’s experiences and perceptions of the phenomenon of violence leads to an increase in nurses’ awareness of this phenomenon. It reveals crucial concepts in nursing, especially in the elderly.

Ethical Considerations
Compliance with ethical guidelines
Research Ethics Committee of the University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences They approved this study with IR.USWR.REC.1397.167.

Funding
The present study did not have a financial sponsor. This article is taken from a part of the doctoral thesis of Mr. Jassim Nozarpour, which was approved at Tehran University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences.

Authors' contributions
All authors contributed equally in preparing all parts of the research.

Conflicts of interest
The authors declared no conflict of interest.
 


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