The conceptual clarification between older adult bullying and mistreatment

PRINCIPAL RESEARCHER:

Marie Beaulieu, Ph. D., University of Sherbrooke

RESEARCH TEAM:

N.a.

CHAIR PERSONNEL INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT:

Marie-Ève Bédard, Doctoral student in Gerontology (UdeS) and research assistant

Roxane Leboeuf, Chair’s coordinator and research agent

Marika Lussier-Therrien, Master’s student in Social Work (UdeS) and research assistant

Caroline Pelletier, Doctoral student in Gerontology (UdeS) and research assistant

Jessica Calvé, Master’s student in Social Work (UdeS) and research assistant

All members of the research team

GRANTING AGENCY AND GRANT AMOUNT:

From the Chair’s funds

PROJECT COMPLETION DATES:

Phase 1: From July to November 2014

Activities related to the Anti-Bullying Forum (October 2, 2014)

Phase 2: From December 2014 to October 2015

Due to numerous requests for presentations and the growing interest for this issue, the Chair decided to continue its work by developing knowledge and conceptual clarification in this new field.

Phase 3: From November 2015 to October 2017

When extending the Chair’s mandate (2015-2017), the specific research on older adult bullying has been incorporated into new directions.

The Concerted Action Plan to Prevent and Counter Bullying was tabled in November 2015. It guided the work of the Chair about older adult bullying. The Chair was identified as the main partner for the achievement of the following two measures:

• 16 Whose purpose is to “develop and disseminate awareness and information tools and training courses, on the bullying of seniors taking into account knowledge gained on their mistreatment”;
• 2 Whose purpose is to “document the phenomenon of bullying, including the cyber- bullying, as it relates specifically to seniors, taking into account the acquired knowledge elder mistreatment and the available data relating to gender.”

This plan remains in effect until November 2018.

This project is part of achieving measure 5.2

ROLE OF CHAIR IN THE PROJECT:

Leader of the project

RESEARCH PROBLEM:

On October 2, 2014, the Quebec government invited several partners, including the Chair, to give their views on bullying towards the populations they serve in the context of an Anti-Bullying Forum. This Forum on countering bullying called Ensemble contre l’intimidation! (United against bullying!) was intended to report on the situation of bullying experienced by various clienteles and in different contexts to then define guidelines and make recommendations in terms of prevention, intervention, and support for practitioners. Ultimately, comments gathered at the Forum and through call for briefs served as a basis for elaborating and adopting a concerted action plan to counter bullying.

The Concerted Action Plan to Prevent and Counter Bullying 2015-2018 was implemented on November 18, 2015. Out of the 53 measures, 11 specifically targeted older adults. The Chair was also identified as the main partner for the achievement of measures 3.16 and 5.2. Although youth bullying is an issue that has evolved in the context of a broad social movement of struggles and advocacy from actors, this issue was very little discussed by actors working with older adults. In addition, scientific literature on this subject is very poor both in Quebec, in Canada and internationally. The knowledge on older adult bullying needs therefore to be built. According to the Chair, it is important to do so, based on the knowledge acquired about mistreatment since literature and the experience of professionals in the field suggest that these two issues are certainly very related.

GOAL OF THE PROJECT OR RESEARCH QUESTION:

In 2014, this project was designed to document the phenomenon of older adult bullying, allowing an overview of the state of knowledge on this issue and initiating a conceptual clarification between mistreatment and bullying. It was also intended to propose avenues for prevention, intervention and support for actors. Since the implementation of the Concerted Action Plan to Prevent and Counter Bullying in November 2015, this project pursues the same goals.  However, they are now enshrined in the achievement of measure 5.2 of the Action Plan which has the objective to “document the phenomenon of bullying, including the cyber-bullying, as it relates specifically to seniors, taking into account the acquired knowledge elder mistreatment and the available data relating to gender.”

OBJECTIVES:

Phases 1 et 2

1. Document older adult bullying;
2. Conceptual clarification between bullying and mistreatment of older adults
3. Participate in the Anti-Bullying Forum on October 2, 2014;
4. Achieve a knowledge transfer with a brief to be submitted to the Ministry of Family, scientific articles and by oral communications.

Phase 3

1. Establish a working sub-committee on bullying within the Chair, whose purpose is to propose a work plan for the achievement of the two measures from the Concerted Action Plan to Prevent and Counter Bullying. The sub-committee also wanted to propose a knowledge transfer plan for older adult bullying.
2. Continue the work of conceptual clarification based on the knowledge acquired on mistreatment, as well as on the knowledge developed in the other three current projects on bullying.
3. Knowledge transfer through scientific articles, oral communications and adding a tab to our website.

METHODOLOGY:

Phases 1 et 2

• Recension des écrits internationaux sur cinq ans (2009 à 2014)
• Analyse, par l’ensemble des membres de la Chaire, du Cahier du participant remis par le ministère de la Famille en vue de se préparer au Forum
• Participation de Marie Beaulieu au Forum sur l’intimidation
• Rédaction d’un mémoire sur l’intimidation envers les personnes aînées par l’ensemble des membres de la Chaire.
• Drafting of a scientific article in order to pursue the reflection already initiated in the brief.

Phase 3

• Establishing within the Chair a sub-committee on bullying in order to propose a work plan and a knowledge transfer plan.
• Adding a new theme on bullying in the scientific watch section of the Chair’s website.
• Ad hoc meetings of committee members in order to share knowledge on bullying that was developed in the framework of other Chair’s work and analyze how it can enhance the conceptual clarification of older adult bullying.
• Production of scientific articles, oral communications and adding a tab called bullying on the Chair’s website which disseminates, as it is produced, the knowledge on bullying.

PROJECT ADVANCEMENT:

Phase 1

The Chair has received the Participant’s Workbook during the summer of 2014. In order to assist Marie Beaulieu for the preparation of her presentation at the Forum, all members of the Chair have acknowledged the Workbook and have exchanged and criticized its content during a team meeting scheduled for that purpose. In parallel, a literature review was conducted on the topic of older adult bullying. A synthesis of the comments made at the team meeting and the results of the literature review served as a basis for Marie Beaulieu’s presentation at the Forum on October 2 and in the drafting of the brief that was submitted to the Ministry of Family on November 30, 2014.

Phase 2

Since then, the Chair was approached on several occasions by various organizations to give presentations on older adult bullying and more particularly on the state of knowledge and the conceptual clarification presented in its brief. The Ministry of Family has also requested approval to use the state of knowledge carried out by the Chair in its brief and then use it as a basis for older adult bullying.  This basis will be included in the future action plan to counter older adult bullying. In order to develop knowledge on the association between mistreatment and bullying, the Chair has also written an article which will be published in a special issue on older adult bullying in the Revue Service Social of Laval University in 2016.

Phase 3

The Concerted Action Plan to Prevent and Counter Bullying 2015-2018 was implemented on November 18, 2015.Out of the 11 measures targeting older adults, the Chair was also identified as the main partner for achieving two of them: measures 3.16 and 5.2. The measure 5.2, whose purpose is to “document the phenomenon of bullying, including the cyber- bullying, as it relates specifically to seniors, taking into account the acquired knowledge elder mistreatment and the available data relating to gender.”  As for measure 3.16, the purpose is to “develop and disseminate awareness and information tools and training courses, on the bullying of seniors taking into account knowledge gained on their mistreatment”.

In December 2015, the Chair established a working sub-committee on bullying which aimed at bridging the Chair’s work and the measures of the Concerted Action Plan as well as to propose a knowledge transfer plan.

In addition to this project, three other projects on older adult bullying are in progress within the Chair:

A funded project in the framework of the Quebec Age-Friendly Program (QADA 2015-2018):

• Older Adult Mistreatment and Bullying: Enhancing Awareness Practices of Community-Based Organizations Promoting the Transition from Awareness to Reporting.

Two student projects:

• How do mistreated or bullied older adults live their relational experience with services available (from relatives, the health and social services network and community-based organizations)? (PhD thesis topic in gerontology by Caroline Pelletier, University of Sherbrooke)

COMMUNICATIONS:

Beaulieu, M., & Manseau-Young, M.-E. (31mars 2016). Aînés et intimidation. Séminaire sur l’intervention policière auprès des personnes aînées dans un contexte de maltraitance. Nicolet (Canada).

Leboeuf, R., Beaulieu, M. et Bédard, M.-È. (19 mars 2016). Distinctions et similitudes entre l’intimidation et la maltraitance envers les personnes aînées. Carrefour gérontologique de l’Association québécoise de gérontologie (AQG). Montréal (Québec).

Beaulieu, M., Bédard, M.-E., et Leboeuf, R. (20 novembre 2015). L’intimidation envers les aînés : état des connaissances et clarification conceptuelle en se basant sur les acquis en matière de lutte contre la maltraitance. Colloque « Réalités sociales » des juges des cours municipales du Québec. St-Alexis-des-Monts (Québec).

Lussier-Therrien, M., Beaulieu, M. & Leboeuf, R. (20 novembre 2015). L’intimidation des jeunes et des aînés : mise en dialogue. Carrefour gérontologique 2015 de l’Association québécoise de gérontologie. Québec (Québec).

Beaulieu, M. (28 octobre 2015). Victimisation, peur du crime, maltraitance et intimidation des aînés. Quels enjeux pour nos villes au Québec? Rencontre du réseau des grandes villes en démarche MADA. Trois-Rivières (Québec).

Beaulieu, M. et Cantin, M. (9 octobre 2015). Lutte contre l’intimidation et la maltraitance au Québec : bilan et prospectives. Fadoq-Montréal. Montréal (Québec).

Beaulieu, M., Bédard, M.-È. & Leboeuf, R. (24 septembre 2015). L’intimidation envers les aînés : état des connaissances et clarification conceptuelle en se basant sur les acquis en matière de lutte contre la maltraitance. Journée des partenaires. Montréal (Québec).

Beaulieu, M.(3 juin 2015). La lutte contre la maltraitance et l’intimidation : un bilan de nos pratiques publiques. AQDR. Granby (Québec).

Beaulieu, M.(19 mai 2015). La lutte contre la maltraitance et l’intimidation : bilan et prospectives. Table de concertation des personnes aînées du Bas-St-Laurent. Rimouski (Québec).

Beaulieu, M., Leboeuf, R. et Bédard, M.-È. (23 avril 2015). L’intimidation et la maltraitance envers les personnes aînées : état des connaissances et clarification conceptuelle. Journée des partenaires du Coordonnateur régional en matière de lutte contre la maltraitance envers les personnes aînées de la Région de la Capitale-Nationale. Québec (Québec).

PUBLICATIONS:

Beaulieu, M, Bédard, M-E, et Leboeuf, R. (sous presse septembre 2015, publication prévue au printemps 2016). L’intimidation envers les personnes aînées : un problème social connexe à la maltraitance? Revue Service social.

Chaire de recherche sur la maltraitance envers les personnes aînées (novembre 2014). L’intimidation envers les personnes aînées. Mémoire déposé au gouvernement du Québec dans le cadre du forum sur l’intimidation. 15 p.