Patterns of Physical Restraints and Their Associated Factors Among Personal Care Assistants Working at Daycare Centers in Korea

In South Korea, the use of physical restraints (PR) in long-term care for older adults are generally prohibited due to their link to elder abuse. This study analyzed data from the 2017 National Survey on Human Rights for Older Adults (N = 4,447), focusing on personal care assistants (PCAs) in daycare settings. The study explored the prevalence and patterns of PR use among PCAs, using Latent Class Analysis (LCA) to identify four distinct groups based on attitudes and behaviors toward PR: High-risk Group, Semi-aware Low Usage Group, Unaware Low Usage Group, Desired Group. The study revealed a significant gap between PCAs’ attitudes toward PR and their actual practices. Notably, High-risk Group tended to attribute elder abuse to personality disorders in older adults. In contrast, the desired group linked elder abuse to caregivers’ personality disorders. These findings highlight the need for standardized, human rights-focused education.