Psychological Factors Associated with Fear of Falling and Fear of Falling Avoidance Behavior in Older Adults: Results from a National Sample.

IF 2.6 3区医学 Q3 GERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY Clinical Gerontologist Pub Date : 2025-01-22 DOI:10.1080/07317115.2025.2453712

John V Rider, Nirmala Lekhak, Daniel L Young, Merrill R Landers

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Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to identify psychological factors and characteristics associated with fear of falling (FOF) and fear of falling avoidance behavior (FFAB) among older adults.

Methods: This cross-sectional study used data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (Wave 9, n = 4,977).

Results: We found that increased fall history, more frequent depression and anxiety, and poorer perceived overall health were significantly higher among older adults with FFAB compared to FOF (ps < .001). Perceived overall health, depression, and anxiety explained a significant amount of variance in FOF and FFAB. Lastly, demographic characteristics differ between older adults reporting no FOF/FFAB, FOF, and FFAB.

Conclusions: FOF and FFAB are prevalent among older adults. Older adults experiencing FFAB had poorer health perceptions, more falls, and more frequent depression and anxiety than those experiencing FOF. The association of psychological factors and demographic characteristics with FOF and FFAB may indicate potential treatment targets. Clinical Implications: Addressing psychological variables, such as health perception, anxiety, and depression among older adults, may mitigate the impact of FOF and the development of FFAB; however, further research is needed.

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老年人害怕跌倒和害怕避免跌倒行为的相关心理因素：来自全国样本的结果。

目的：本研究旨在确定老年人害怕跌倒（FOF）和害怕避免跌倒行为（FFAB）的相关心理因素和特征。方法：这项横断面研究使用了来自国家健康和老龄化趋势研究的数据（第9波，n = 4977）。结果：我们发现，与FOF相比，患有FFAB的老年人摔倒史增加、抑郁和焦虑更频繁、整体健康状况较差的发生率显著高于FOF (ps结论：FOF和FFAB在老年人中普遍存在。经历过FFAB的老年人比经历过FOF的老年人有更差的健康认知，更多的跌倒，更频繁的抑郁和焦虑。与FOF和FFAB相关的心理因素和人口学特征可能提示潜在的治疗目标。临床意义：解决老年人的心理变量，如健康感知、焦虑和抑郁，可能减轻FOF和FFAB发展的影响；然而，还需要进一步的研究。

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来源期刊

Clinical Gerontologist GERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY-PSYCHIATRY

CiteScore

6.20

自引率

25.00%

发文量

审稿时长

>12 weeks

期刊介绍： Clinical Gerontologist presents original research, reviews, and clinical comments relevant to the needs of behavioral health professionals and all practitioners who work with older adults. Published in cooperation with Psychologists in Long Term Care, the journal is designed for psychologists, physicians, nurses, social workers, counselors (family, pastoral, and vocational), and other health professionals who address behavioral health concerns found in later life, including: -adjustments to changing roles- issues related to diversity and aging- family caregiving- spirituality- cognitive and psychosocial assessment- depression, anxiety, and PTSD- Alzheimer’s disease and other neurocognitive disorders- long term care- behavioral medicine in aging- rehabilitation and education for older adults. Each issue provides insightful articles on current topics. Submissions are peer reviewed by content experts and selected for both scholarship and relevance to the practitioner to ensure that the articles are among the best in the field. Authors report original research and conceptual reviews. A unique column in Clinical Gerontologist is “Clinical Comments." This section features brief observations and specific suggestions from practitioners which avoid elaborate research designs or long reference lists. This section is a unique opportunity for you to learn about the valuable clinical work of your peers in a short, concise format.