The study found that 17.9 percent of the elders were being abused, with the most prevalent types of abuse being psychological (50 percent), neglect (43 percent), financial (36 percent), and physical (21 percent). Although this study compares these findings with similar studies in other countries, the authors advise that until there are more comprehensive studies of abuse in many countries, including Japan, the analysis of variations in rates of specific types of abuse and associated factors will be difficult. Recommendations for preventing elder abuse focus on education and support for caregivers both in terms of understanding the condition of the elderly recipient of care and how to manage stress and the caregiver's own needs. Consistent with previous Japanese studies, findings show that the most common abusers were daughters-in-law. Risk factors for being an abuse victim were behavioral problems, cognitive impairment, loss of social roles, and higher levels of dependency. Caregivers were more likely to abuse elderly care recipients if the abusers had health problems themselves, misunderstood the elder's aging and health conditions, and received little family support. All of the elderly persons in the sample were 60 years old or older and receiving one or more support services. Variables measured addressed demographics, daily living activities, level of cognitive impairment, social role, behavioral problems, health conditions of caregivers, ability to understand the nature of aging, role conflict, care burden, support from family members, and kinds and frequency of abuse. 5 tables and 27 references