Three types of maltreatment were operationalized: physical abuse (at least one act of physical violence against the respondent since he/she had turned 65 years old), neglect (deprivation of some assistance needed for daily living), and chronic verbal aggression (being insulted, sworn at, or threatened at least 10 or more times in the preceding year). Respondents were administered the Conflict Tactics Scale to determine their experience of physical abuse and chronic verbal aggression. Neglect was determined by using a section of the Older Americans Resources and Services instrument concerned with activities of daily living. The study also measured the relationships between situational stress on the caregiver and maltreatment of the elderly and between caregiver deviance and maltreatment. Findings show substantially more support for the theory that relatives' problem behavior contributes to abuse rather than for the theory that elderly persons' infirmities produce caregiver stress that contributes to abuse. 3 tables, 18 references.