Development and psychometric validation of the bullying experiences of the elderly scale in geriatric care

BACKGROUND: Bullying is a common issue that undermines older adults' health and well-being yet often goes unnoticed. Despite its impact, assessment tools specifically designed to identify bullying against this population are limited. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to develop the Bullying Experiences of the Elderly (BEE) scale and evaluate its psychometric properties among older adults. METHODS: The BEE scale was theoretically grounded in Olweus's bullying framework, stereotype embodiment theory, and social-ecological theory. A three-phase cross-sectional design was used, including item generation based on theoretical foundations, refinement through content and face validity review, and evaluation of construct validity in a larger survey sample. A sample of 922 community-dwelling older adults was recruited from commonly frequented or residential locations in Taiwan. Recruitment was conducted through door-to-door visits and face-to-face interactions. Factor analysis was performed for data analysis. RESULTS: The finalized BEE scale includes 18 items and a four-factor structure: ageism-related bullying, sexual bullying, dignity violation, and social bullying. The scale demonstrated strong content validity and good internal consistency, with Cronbach's α coefficients exceeding.80. The indices of confirmatory factor analysis supported the internal measurement structure of the four-factor model, with composite reliability values exceeding.60 and the square roots of the average variance extracted for each factor being greater than the inter-factor correlations. CONCLUSION: The BEE scale is a reliable instrument for assessing bullying experiences among older adults, offering valuable support for improving geriatric care. Its routine application may inform the development of targeted interventions; however, further research is required to validate the scale across different contexts.