Theories Of Elder Abuse

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Discussion
A theory is an important component of research to help explain the phenomena of interest. However, in the elder abuse literature there are a variety of theories available that have been used from other disciplines similar to elder abuse, such as family violence and/or the criminal justice system. However, theories are still needed that directly relate to the elder abuse topic of interest.
Nature and Types of Theory
The scholarly views on the nature and types of theory are different between scholars. Therefore, one scholarly view on theory is that a theory must fit certain criteria to be considered a good-theory (Wacker, 1998). As a result, a theory should contain four components, which include the definitions of variables, a …show more content…

Consequently, the majority of theories used in the field of elder abuse are borrowed from other fields such as criminal justice and domestic violence (Anetzberger, 2012). Therefore, it is essential that a theory can describe or answer basic questions about the phenomena being studied. In addition, a theory should be holistic and have the ability to be integrative to increase its effect (Norris et al., 2013). Furthermore, a theory can allow researchers the ability to gain insight regarding similarities and/or differences in the phenomena (Payne, 2013). Overall, a theory is viewed as a statement of a suspected relationship between and/or among variables (Gelso, 2006). Therefore, some believe theories should tell why the variables are expected to influence or relate to one another (Gelso, 2006). However, there are hypotheses, models, concepts, and paradigms that are different than theories. After all, the primary goal of a theory is to answer questions of when (or where), how, and why (Wacker, 1998). Consequently, the concepts, models, paradigms, and hypotheses may not answer all those questions. The organizational-concept framework used in the Castle (2011) study listed the external, internal, and organizational factors of the study however, no theory was used and it did not answer all the when, how, where, or …show more content…

Therefore, in a quantitative study the theoretical framework is often discussed are the literate review (Coughlan, Cronin, & Ryan, 2007). In addition, the theory can be used as a conceptual model that is used as guide for the research study (Coughlan et al., 2007). Therefore, a quantitative research study contributes to theory by building on the theory through empirical observation. On the other hand, qualitative research contributes to theory by developing new theories (Ryan, Coughlan, & Cronin, 2007). As a result, majority of qualitative research does not test a theory compared to the quantitative research studies. Therefore, qualitative research is often known as grounded theory (Ryan et al., 2007). However, some qualitative research can use theories as a frame for the study. Finally, research contributes to theory by improving the efficiency and reducing errors (Wacker, 1998). Therefore, theory is improved and it enhances the knowledge in the topic area of interest. Overall, research is conducted built on a theory that provides an explanation of the phenomena (Stam, 2009). In the end, theory and research are closely linked together and without the use of a theoretical framework to build the research from it will be difficult to provide an understanding of the research results regarding the

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