Eight major themes were identified among these elderly maltreatment situations and relationships. The first is that there is a relationship between social conditioning and abusive behavior among rural African-Americans. Physically abusing elderly is particularly unacceptable among this population. Poverty is a factor in rural African-American elder maltreatment situations. Perpetrators of elder abuse in these situations are adults involved in dependent, mutually beneficial relationships with elders. The researchers noted that nontraditional family constellations are common among rural African-Americans. Elder abuse victims are geographically isolated from services, medical care, and family members. The study identified minimalization and neutralization behavior among both the perpetrators and victims. Finally, psychological demoralization is problematic for rural African-American families. 1 figure and 54 references