ORIGINAL ARTICLE
The Effect of Frailty on Quality of Life in Older Patients Receiving Hemodialysis and Associations With Fear of Falling
Zülfünaz Özer,
Gülcan Bahçecioğlu Turan,
Seda Başak,
Zülfünaz Özer
Nursing Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University, Istanbul, Türkiye
Search for more papers by this authorGülcan Bahçecioğlu Turan
Nursing Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, Fırat University, Elazığ, Türkiye
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Seda Başak
Faculty of Nursing, Atatürk University, Erzurum, Türkiye
Correspondence:
Seda Başak ([email protected])
Search for more papers by this authorZülfünaz Özer,
Gülcan Bahçecioğlu Turan,
Seda Başak,
Zülfünaz Özer
Nursing Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University, Istanbul, Türkiye
Search for more papers by this authorGülcan Bahçecioğlu Turan
Nursing Department, Faculty of Health Sciences, Fırat University, Elazığ, Türkiye
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Seda Başak
Faculty of Nursing, Atatürk University, Erzurum, Türkiye
Correspondence:
Seda Başak ([email protected])
Search for more papers by this authorFirst published: 10 March 2025
Funding: The authors received no specific funding for this work.
ABSTRACT
Purpose
This study investigated the effect of frailty and avoidance behavior due to fear of falling on the quality of life in older patients receiving hemodialysis treatment.
Methods
This study is cross-sectional and descriptive. The study was conducted between January 2 and 31, 2022, with 154 individuals aged 65 years and over receiving treatment in dialysis centers. The study data were collected using the Patient Information Form, Edmonton Frail Scale, Fear of Falling Avoidance-Behavior Questionnaire, and Quality of Life Scale (SF-12).
Results
The Mean Edmonton Frail Scale score was found to be 8.7 ± 3.36, the mean Fear of Falling Avoidance-Behavior Questionnaire score was found to be 33.17 ± 9.11, the mean SF-12 physical component score was found to be 34.32 ± 8.51, and the mean mental component score was seen as 41.77 ± 8.35. The Fear of Falling Avoidance-Behavior Questionnaire was an associated factor in the effect of the Edmonton Frail Scale on quality of life. It strengthened the negative impact of the Edmonton Frail Scale on quality of life. The predictive effect of these two variables in explaining quality of life was 59.3%.
Conclusion
It was found that the participants had moderate levels of frailty, moderate levels of activity limitation, and participation restriction due to fear of falling, and low levels of physical and mental quality of life. It was determined that frailty had a direct impact on quality of life. Also, the indirect effect of frailty on quality of life was determined through the role of avoidance behavior due to fear of falling.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Open Research
Data Availability Statement
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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