Can Social Resources Explain the Limitations in the Activities of Daily Living of Older Adults Classified by the Phenotype of Physical Frailty?

• Published in: Journal of applied gerontology Vol. 41; no. 5; pp. 1445 - 1453
• Main Authors: Venturini, Claudia, Moreira, Bruno de Souza, Ferriolli, Eduardo, Liberalesso Neri, Anita, Lourenço, Roberto Alves, Sampaio, Rosana Ferreira
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01-05-2022; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living; Aged; Frail Elderly; Frailty; Frailty - diagnosis; Humans; Limitations; Mediation; Older people; Phenotype; Vulnerability; older adults; personal network; health; physical frailty; activities of daily living
• ISSN: 0733-4648; 1552-4523
• DOI: 10.1177/07334648211064267

The objective is to investigate the mediating roles of living alone and personal network in the relationship between physical frailty and activities of daily living (ADL) limitations among older adults. 2271 individuals were classified as vulnerable (pre-frail or frail) or robust. Mediating variables were living alone and personal network. Katz Index and Lawton-Brody scale were used to assess ADL. Mediating effects were analyzed with beta coefficients from linear regression models using the bootstrapping method. Mediation analysis showed significant mediating effects of living alone (β = .011; 95% CI = .004; .018) and personal network (β = .005; 95% CI = .001; .010) on the relationship between physical frailty and basic ADL limitations. Mediation effects of living alone and personal network on the relationship between physical frailty and instrumental ADL limitations were β = −.074 (95% CI=−.101; −.046) and β = −.044 (95% CI = −.076; −.020), respectively. Physically vulnerable older adults who lived alone or had poor personal network were more dependent on basic and instrumental ADL.