Journal of Aging and Health

 

Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Submit your manuscript now - click here

Click here for more information on The Virtual Advisor

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
This Article
Right arrow Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Hadjistavropoulos, T.
Right arrow Articles by Asmundson, G. J. G.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Hadjistavropoulos, T.
Right arrow Articles by Asmundson, G. J. G.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati  
What's this?
Journal of Aging and Health, Vol. 19, No. 6, 965-984 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0898264307308611

A Longitudinal Investigation of Fear of Falling, Fear of Pain, and Activity Avoidance in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Thomas Hadjistavropoulos, PhD

University of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, hadjistt{at}uregina.ca

Ronald R. Martin, PhD

University of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

Donald Sharpe, PhD

University of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

Amanda C. Lints, MA

University of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

Donald R. McCreary, PhD

University of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

Gordon J. G. Asmundson, PhD

University of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

Objective: The primary purpose of this study was to examine the role of fear of falling, fear of pain, and associated activity avoidance in the prediction of pain and falls. Method: A 6-month longitudinal study of older community-dwelling adults. Results: The authors found that fear of falling is a better predictor of falls than is activity avoidance. Moreover, fear of pain did not predict future pain-related avoidance or future pain in the sample of seniors. Discussion: The findings confirm the ability of fear of falling to predict falls but challenge preexisting models developed to account for the relationship between falls and fear. The findings also suggest limits on the generalizability of fear—avoidance models of pain. The authors conclude by suggesting mechanisms that could account for the relationship of fears with falls and pain. Unlike previous conceptualizations, these mechanisms do not rely on activity avoidance as an explanation.

Key Words: falls • fear of falling • fear of pain • pain • older adults • elderly


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?