Exploring the Mediating Effects of Cognitive Function, Social Support, Activities of Daily Living and Depression in the Relationship between Age and Frailty among Community-Dwelling Elderly

Lin-Yen Chen, Tzu-Jung Fang, Yu-Chih Lin and Hsiu-Fen Hsieh
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Lin-Yen Chen: Department of Nursing, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
Tzu-Jung Fang: Division of Geriatrics and Gerontology, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
Yu-Chih Lin: Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
Hsiu-Fen Hsieh: Department of Nursing, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 23, 1-11

Abstract: With 16.15% of its total population aged 65 or above, Taiwan is already an aging society. Frailty is a natural consequence of aging, which may decrease physical strength and deteriorate physiological functioning. We examined the mediating effects of cognitive function, social support, activities of daily living (ADL), and depression in the relationship between age and frailty in older people living in the community. This cross-sectional study used a structured questionnaire to collect data from a convenience sample of 200 pre-frail to mildly frail older adults in southern Taiwan. Structural equation modeling was used for data analysis, with data collected from July to November 2020. ADL mediated the relationship between age and frailty, while cognitive function also mediated the relationship between age and frailty, indicating that ADL and cognitive function were significant determinants of frailty. The path from age to frailty was significant, indicating that age was a significant determinant of frailty. The standardized total effect of age affected frailty through the mediating roles of ADL and cognitive function. Age, depression, ADL, and cognitive function explained 59% of the variance in frailty among older adults. ADL and cognitive function are significant mediators of frailty among older adults.

Keywords: older adults; frailty; activities of daily living; cognitive function; depression (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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