Citation

Park Y, Paik NJ, Kim KW, Jang HC, Lim JY. J. Fraility Aging 2017; 6(3): 144-147.

Affiliation

Jae-Young Lim, MD, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, 82, Gumi-ro 173 Beon-gil, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea, Telephone: +82 31 787 7732, Fax: +82 31 787 4056, E-mail: drlim1@snu.ac.kr.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Journal of frailty and aging)

DOI

10.14283/jfa.2017.21

PMID

28721431

Abstract

Fall is a common cause of disability and death in old adults, and much research has been focused on identifying risk factors and developing preventive measures. Yet the majority of preceding research has been focused on physical performance. This study aims to evaluate the association between fall and depressive symptoms in community-dwelling elderly. Cross-sectional data of 431 men and 546 women was collected from old Korean adults living in Seongnam, Korea. Geriatric fall assessment was conducted by self-report questionnaires. Depressive symptoms were assessed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale.

RESULTS indicated that depressive symptoms were associated with both fall and fear of falling in old adults. A clear gender difference was newly discovered, as depression played a stronger role in women. These results imply that clinicians should consider the negative affect of geriatric patients when assessing fall risk. Also, measures against depression might be effective in reducing falls.

Language: en

Keywords

Fall; depression; fear of falling