Fear of falling and emotional regulation in older adults.

OBJECTIVES: Fear of falling is common amongst older adults with and without a prior experience of falling. It is related to decreased quality of life, isolation, and institutionalisation. It also poses a risk for future falls when activity is avoided because of fear of falling and muscle deconditioning occurs. Relatively little is known about the psychological factors underpinning fear of falling. This study explored the relationship between emotion regulation and fear of falling in community dwelling older adults.

METHOD: A sample of 117 older adults (>65 years) were recruited from community based exercise classes, falls reduction classes, NHS and charity organisations. Self-reported measures included the Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I), the Fear of Falling Behaviour Questionnaire (FFABQ), the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and the Hospital and Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS).

RESULTS: A significant positive correlation was found between emotion regulation and fear of falling, as well as between emotional regulation and fear-related avoidance behaviour. A regression model found that after controlling for depression and age, emotion regulation was no longer significantly related to fear of falling.

CONCLUSIONS: Fear of falling is associated with emotion regulation difficulties in community dwelling older adults. However, this link no longer exists once depression is controlled for. The key clinical implication is the importance of the assessment of depression in older adults with a fear of falling. Future research should use a longitudinal design to further unpick the causal relationships between these variables.