Frailty in Caregivers and Its Relationship with Psychological Stress and Resilience: A Cross-SectionalStudy Based on the Deficit Accumulation Model

Studies increasingly suggest that chronic exposure to psychological stress can lead to health deterioration and accelerated ageing, thus possibly contributing to the development of frailty. Recent approaches based on the deficit accumulation model measure frailty on a continuous grading through the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of frailty & aging 2022, Vol.11 (1), p.59-66
Main Authors: Canevelli, M, Bersani, F S, Sciancalepore, F, Salzillo, M, Cesari, M, Tarsitani, L, Pasquini, M, Ferracuti, S, Biondi, M, Bruno, G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Caregivers
Cross-Sectional Studies
Frailty
Humans
Resilience, Psychological
Stress, Psychological
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Summary:Studies increasingly suggest that chronic exposure to psychological stress can lead to health deterioration and accelerated ageing, thus possibly contributing to the development of frailty. Recent approaches based on the deficit accumulation model measure frailty on a continuous grading through the "Frailty Index" (FI), i.e. a macroscopic indicator of biological senescence and functional status. The study aimed at testing the relationship of FI with caregiving, psychological stress, and psychological resilience. Cross-sectional study, with case-control and correlational analyses. Caregivers of patients with dementia (n=64), i.e. individuals a priori considered to be exposed to prolonged psychosocial stressors, and matched controls (n=64) were enrolled. The two groups were compared using a 38-item FI condensing biological, clinical, and functional assessments. Within caregivers, the association of FI with Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) was tested. Caregivers had higher FI than controls (F=8.308, p=0.005). FI was associated directly with PSS (r=0.660, p
ISSN:2260-1341
DOI:10.14283/jfa.2021.29