Harpa Lind Jónsdóttir1,2, Joelle C Ruthig1. 1. Department of Psychology, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, USA. 2. Centre of Public Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, Reykjavík, Iceland.
Abstract
Objectives: Falls can have detrimental effects on older adults' psychological well-being, physical health, and survival rates. However, certain psychosocial mediators may lessen the negative impact of suffering a fall on health and well-being. Perceived control is a psychosocial factor that was examined as a mediator of the falls - health and well-being relationship in the current study.Method: Participants were 232 community-dwelling older adults, age 68 or older who took part in a longitudinal study in 2008 and 2010 and completed measures of perceived control, self-rated health, health-care utilization, number of falls, depressive symptomology, and perceived stress. Survival was also tracked for seven years from 2008 through 2015. Results: Older adults who suffered a fall had poorer health and well-being two years later compared to those who did not suffer a fall. Perceived control mediated the negative impact of falls on subsequent health and well-being outcomes two years later. Among older adults who experienced a fall, higher levels of perceived control predicted better subsequent health and well-being. Suffering one or more falls also predicted less likelihood of survival seven years later, beyond the effects of age, gender, marital status, and education. Conclusion: Findings highlight the importance of assessing risk of falling and levels of perceived control in later life.
Objectives: Falls can have detrimental effects on older adults' psychological well-being, physical health, and survival rates. However, certain psychosocial mediators may lessen the negative impact of suffering a fall on health and well-being. Perceived control is a psychosocial factor that was examined as a mediator of the falls - health and well-being relationship in the current study.Method: Participants were 232 community-dwelling older adults, age 68 or older who took part in a longitudinal study in 2008 and 2010 and completed measures of perceived control, self-rated health, health-care utilization, number of falls, depressive symptomology, and perceived stress. Survival was also tracked for seven years from 2008 through 2015. Results: Older adults who suffered a fall had poorer health and well-being two years later compared to those who did not suffer a fall. Perceived control mediated the negative impact of falls on subsequent health and well-being outcomes two years later. Among older adults who experienced a fall, higher levels of perceived control predicted better subsequent health and well-being. Suffering one or more falls also predicted less likelihood of survival seven years later, beyond the effects of age, gender, marital status, and education. Conclusion: Findings highlight the importance of assessing risk of falling and levels of perceived control in later life.
Authors: Lars I E Oddsson; Teresa Bisson; Helen S Cohen; Laura Jacobs; Mohammad Khoshnoodi; Doris Kung; Lewis A Lipsitz; Brad Manor; Patricia McCracken; Yvonne Rumsey; Diane M Wrisley; Sara R Koehler-McNicholas Journal: Front Aging Neurosci Date: 2020-11-09 Impact factor: 5.750
Authors: Lisa Musculus; Noel Kinrade; Sylvain Laborde; Melina Gleißert; Miriam Streich; Babett Helen Lobinger Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2021-05-12 Impact factor: 3.390