这项研究的目的是确定脆弱对孤独感的影响老年人接受家庭护理,与他们的社会经济和家庭状况相关。这项横断面研究招募了218名年龄≥65岁的人,他们从Evrytania地区的“家庭帮助”计划中接受了家庭医疗服务,希腊于2022年3月至6月通过市政当局的公开邀请。蒂尔堡脆弱指标(TFI)用于评估脆弱,加州大学洛杉矶分校孤独量表版本3用于孤独,通过五个问题(独自生活,与儿童互动的频率,亲戚,朋友,和参与社会组织)。参与者的平均年龄为81.48±9.06,61.9%为女性,54.1%的人经历了高水平的孤独感(UCLA-3平均45.76±11.10[范围20-68]),46.3%的参与者被发现与社会隔离。此外,58.3%的个体被鉴定为虚弱(TFI平均5.95±3.07)[TFI范围0-13],57.3%的人经历身体虚弱,43.6%的人经历心理脆弱,27.1%的人经历过社会脆弱。使用UCLA-3作为因变量的协方差分析(ANCOVA)表明,在TFI的所有领域中,身体虚弱的参与者的孤独感明显更高(总身体虚弱[是]49.27vs.[否]40,87p<0.001)(身体虚弱[是]=48.99vs.[否]=41.42,p<0.001,心理:48.60vs.43.57p<0.001,社交:53.38vs.42.94p<0.001),特别是与不虚弱的人相比,即使在调整了潜在的混杂效应(协变量:性别,年龄,婚姻状况,家庭状况,生活状态,教育水平,年收入,慢性疾病,homewoundstatus,和社会隔离)。我们的研究结果表明,虚弱的老年人经历了更高水平的孤独感,这表明,在接受家庭医疗保健的老年人中,虚弱和孤独是独立相关的。
The purpose of this study was to identify the effect of frailty on loneliness among older adults receiving home care, in correlation to their socioeconomic and homebound statuses. This cross-sectional study recruited 218 individuals aged ≥65 years receiving home-based health services from the \"Help at Home\" program in the Region of Evrytania, Greece through an open invitation from the municipality authorities from March to June 2022. The Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI) was used for the evaluation of frailty, the UCLA Loneliness Scale version 3 was used for loneliness, and social isolation was accessed through five questions (living alone, frequency of interaction with children, relatives, friends, and participation in social organizations). The mean age of the participants was 81.48 ± 9.06, 61.9% were female, 54.1% experienced high levels of loneliness (UCLA-3 mean 45.76 ± 11.10 [range 20-68]), and 46.3% of the participants were found to be socially isolated. Also, 58.3% of the individuals were identified as frail (TFI mean 5.95 ± 3.07) [TFI range 0-13], with 57.3% experiencing physical frailty, 43.6% experiencing psychological frailty, and 27.1% experiencing social frailty. An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) using UCLA-3 as the dependent variable revealed that loneliness across all domains of TFI was significantly higher in participants with frailty (total frailty [Yes] 49.27 vs. [No] 40,87 p < 0.001) (physical frailty [Yes] = 48.99 vs. [No] = 41.42, p < 0.001, psychological: 48.60 vs. 43.57 p < 0.001, and social: 53.38 vs. 42.94 p < 0.001), particularly compared to non-frail individuals, even after adjusting for potential confounding effects (covariates: gender, age, marital status, family status, living status, educational level, annual income, chronic diseases, homebound status, and social isolation). Our findings indicate that frail older adults experienced higher levels of loneliness, suggesting that frailty and loneliness are independently associated among older adults who receive home-based healthcare.