ABSTRACT

Background: Perhaps the most prevalent cause of anxiety among the elderly is the fear of falling, considering that a fall can lead to serious complications and decline of health. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between perceived social support and the fear of falling among people ages 60 and up. Methods: Upon completing informed consent, participants (n = 33) in assisted living facilities, living independently, or with a loved one completed a demographic questionnaire, the Falls Efficacy Scale-International and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Results: There was not a statistically significant relationship between fear of falling and perceived social support (p = .14); however, there was a significant, strong positive correlation between age and fear of falling (r = .41, p = .05) and cane use and fear of falling (r = .54, p = .05). There were no statistically significant group differences in fear of falling (p = .48) for living status. There was a statistically significant difference in fear of falling between cane use (p = .001), with individuals using a cane reporting a significantly greater fear of falling (M = 48.21, SD = 12.95) than individuals not using a cane (M = 30.56, SD = 12.74). The results provide further insight into the relationship between fear of falling, perceived social support, cane use, and living status. Interventions and future research should examine the impact of social support and physical activity on fear of falling and reducing in cane use.

摘要

背景：考虑到跌倒会导致严重的并发症和健康下降，老年人焦虑的最常见原因可能是害怕跌倒。本研究的目的是检验 60 岁及以上人群感知到的社会支持与害怕跌倒之间的关系。方法：在完成知情同意后，在辅助生活设施中、独立生活或与亲人一起生活的参与者 (n = 33) 完成了一份人口调查问卷、跌倒疗效量表 - 国际和感知社会支持的多维量表。结果：跌倒恐惧与感知到的社会支持之间没有统计学上的显着关系（p= .14); 然而，年龄与跌倒恐惧 ( r = .41, p = .05) 与使用手杖和跌倒恐惧 ( r = .54, p = .05)之间存在显着的强正相关。在害怕跌倒 ( p = .48) 的生活状况方面，没有统计学上显着的组间差异。使用手杖的人对跌倒的恐惧存在统计学上的显着差异 ( p = .001)，使用手杖的人报告的跌倒恐惧感 ( M = 48.21, SD  = 12.95)显着高于不使用手杖的人 ( M = 30.56，标清 = 12.74）。结果提供了对跌倒恐惧、感知到的社会支持、手杖使用和生活状况之间关系的进一步洞察。干预措施和未来的研究应该检查社会支持和体育活动对跌倒恐惧和减少使用甘蔗的影响。