Effects of early mental state changes on physical functions in elderly patients with a history of falls

Abstract Background: Fear of falling is a potential consequence of falling in older adults. Whether such fall-related psychological concerns in turn affect physical function? Especially those who have a history of falling but have not been diagnosed with anxiety, depression or both. This study aimed to clarify the effects of early psychological changes on the physical function of order patients. Methods: The 111 participants with falling history were divided into the poor physical function (PPF) group with SPPB≤9 and the good physical function (GPF) group with SPPB>10. Their physical function was assessed through 4-meter gait speed (4MGS), five times sit-to-stand test (FTSST), grip strength, and Timed Up and Go tests TUGT. Their mental state was assessed by the self-rating anxiety/depression scale (SAS/SDS). Results: (1) SAS/SDS scores were negatively correlated with the SPPB score, gait speed, and maximum grip strength (males). (2) Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the SPPB score was subject to such independent influence factors: cerebrovascular disease (OR =15.615; P =0.001), normal ratio of grip strength (OR =0.046; P =0.008), TUGT (OR =1.671; P <0.001), and SDS score (OR =1.155; P =0.005). (3) The area under the ROC curve was 0.699 (0.601, 0.797) for SAS score, with a sensitivity of 0.776 and a specificity of 0.547; the AUC was 0.694 (0.596, 0.792) for SDS score, with a sensitivity of 0.586 and a specificity of 0.755. Conclusions: This study showed that the higher SAS/SDS scores corresponded to poorer physical performance. SAS/SDS scores were to some extent predictive of physical function among older adults with a history of falls.