Diabetes
Violent victimization of older Multiracial adults in California, 2005-2022 Tracy Lam-Hine* Tracy Lam-Hine Lam-Hine Lam-Hine Lam-Hine Stanford University School of Medicine
Background: Violence against older adults is a growing public health concern. Prior studies have found elevated rates of violent victimization (hospitalization or death due to interpersonal violence) among Black older adults. Little is known about violence patterns among older Multiracial adults, who are often aggregated with other groups or excluded. Late-life violent victimization may occur in distinct social and relational contexts; thus, understanding these patterns is important for prevention in an aging population.
Methods: We obtained statewide hospital discharge data and death records for California residents from 2005–2022, defining violent victimization as a hospital visit (inpatient or ED) or death due to interpersonal violence. We restricted analyses to adults aged 50 years and older and stratified results by sex and race and ethnicity. We calculated age-specific victimization rates per 100,000 person-years and 95% confidence intervals using Census-based population estimates.
Results: Among 2,333,871 events, rates of violent victimization declined with age for females and males of all racial and ethnic groups. Across ages 50-64, Black adults had the highest violent victimizations rates, but at ages 65 and older Multiracial adults exhibited the highest and persistently elevated rates across groups; among those aged 85 years and older, victimization rates among Multiracial adults were 145.1 per 100,000 person-years among females and 253.6 among males, compared with 77.1 and 135.6 among Black females and males, and 42.9 and 53.2 among White females and males, respectively.
Discussion: Elevated violent victimization among older Multiracial adults contrasts with lower rates and more substantial decline observed in other racial and ethnic groups. As the older adult population grows and diversifies, further research on the life experiences of older Multiracial adults is needed to improve understanding of the conditions shaping late-life risk across groups.
