Association between Falls, Fear of Falling and Depressive Symptoms in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Longevity increases pose public health challenges, especially in managing falls and their psychological impacts on older adults. Limited evidence exists on the relationship between a fear of falling (FOF), previous falls, and depressive symptoms among community-dwelling older adults. To evaluate the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Healthcare (Basel) 2024-08, Vol.12 (16), p.1638
Main Authors: Pereira, Maria Eduarda Armando, Santos, Gerson de Souza, Almeida, Clara Rabite de, Nunes, Kethlyn Cristina Santos, Silva, Monalisa Claudia Maria da, José, Helena, Sousa, Luís, Vitorino, Luciano Magalhães
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
aged
Anxiety
Complications and side effects
Data collection
Demographic aspects
depression
Depression in old age
Developing countries
Disease prevention
Falls
Falls (Accidents)
fear of falling
Geriatrics
LDCs
Longitudinal studies
Mental depression
Older people
Psychological aspects
Quality of life
Risk factors
Statistical power
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Summary:Longevity increases pose public health challenges, especially in managing falls and their psychological impacts on older adults. Limited evidence exists on the relationship between a fear of falling (FOF), previous falls, and depressive symptoms among community-dwelling older adults. To evaluate the association between falls, FOF, and depressive symptoms in community-dwelling older adults. This cross-sectional study, conducted in 2018, included 400 older adults from a Basic Health Unit in São Paulo, Brazil. The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) and the International Falls Efficacy Scale (FES-I) were used, along with self-report questionnaires on fall history. Linear and logistic regression were used to analyze the relationships between variables. The mean age was 75.2 (SD = 8.53) years, with 63.2% being female. Depressive symptoms were observed in 18.3% of the participants, while 90.5% reported a fear of falling (FOF). More than half (63.0%) experienced falls, with 49.5% occurring in the last year. Factors such as the female gender, negative health perceptions, and functional dependence were associated with depressive symptoms. Adjusted analyses indicated that both a fear of falling (FOF) (B = 0.043; = 0.012) and a history of falls (B = 0.725; = 0.015) were associated with depressive symptoms. Falls, FOF, and depressive symptoms are interlinked among older adults, underscoring the need for targeted interventions to improve their mental and physical health.
ISSN:2227-9032
2227-9032
DOI:10.3390/healthcare12161638