Psychological Correlates of Fear of Falling in the Elderly

Fear of falling (FOF) is widely found in the elderly population and, regardless of its complex nature as a multicomponent construct, its related psychological variables have been overlooked as primary research topics. This article aims to examine the relationship between FOF, falls self efficacy, anxiety, balance, and perceived control over falling in a sample of older adults. A total of 100 subjects aged 60+ were asked about the presence of FOF, falls history, health, and functional status; they also completed the Falls Efficacy Scale (FES), the Geriatric Anxiety Inventory (GAI), the Perceived Control Over Falling Scale (PCOF), and the Performance-Oriented Assessment of Mobility and Balance (POMA-I). FOF was found to be associated with low falls self efficacy, low perceived control over falling, and reduced balance but not with anxiety. Conversely, a statistically significant association was found between GAI and FES, PCOF and POMA-I, and 47.1% of FOF was explained by two items from FES and GAI. FOF is influenced by variables that, though being commonly considered equivalent to FOF, do not fully explain it. A critical thought on the instruments used to evaluate FOF, is needed as well as additional studies to clarify the role of specific psychological variables.