Spatial analysis of elder abuse in a Brazilian municipality.

OBJECTIVE to analyze the spatial distribution of elder abuse in Ribeirao Preto-SP, according to victims' place of residence and event. METHOD an ecological study that analyzed 1,153 elder abuse police reports (2009 to 2013). Local gross and empirical Bayesian rates and Local Moran's I were calculated. RESULTS there was a heterogeneous distribution of concentration of sectors with a high incidence rate surrounded by neighbors with also high rates, considering place of residence. In contrast, analysis by place of occurrence showed a greater concentration in the central areas of the municipality. More than 80% of cases of violence occurred at their own homes and with spatial dependence on distribution by occurrence up to a 5,000 m distance from their places of residence. CONCLUSION data reinforce that violence is a complex phenomenon, affecting several social strata, including in central urban areas and in elderly people families' own context.