A rehabilitative nursing intervention for elderly victims of spousal emotional abuse and its impact on stress level, life satisfaction, and family functioning

BACKGROUND: Spousal emotional abuse is a serious form of maltreatment that is highly prevalent. It threatens the well-being of elderly couples and negatively impacts family functioning. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of a rehabilitative nursing intervention for elderly victims of spousal emotional abuse on stress level, life satisfaction, and family functioning. METHODS: A quasi-experimental research design was used in this study, which was conducted in Estabary and Ganzor villages in Menoufia Governorate, Egypt. A purposive sample of 50 elderly couples experiencing spousal emotional abuse (50 wives and 50 husbands) was recruited. Data were collected using four tools: the Multidimensional Emotional Abuse Questionnaire, the General Functioning 12-item subscale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the Stress Scale. RESULTS: The mean scores of the elderly couples for total family functioning and total life satisfaction significantly increased in the post-intervention phase (34.68 ± 5.15, 25.4 ± 3.5, respectively) compared to the pre-intervention phase (20.04 ± 4.08, 19.2 ± 3.6, respectively). Additionally, the mean scores for total emotional abuse and total stress significantly decreased in the post-intervention phase (85.2 ± 20.3, 6.7 ± 1.9, respectively) compared to the pre-intervention phase (117.7 ± 21.4, 16.2 ± 3.1, respectively). CONCLUSION: The rehabilitative nursing intervention for elderly victims of spousal emotional abuse was effective in reducing stress levels and improving life satisfaction and family functioning. Therefore, these interventions should be implemented with support from specialized professionals and institutions.