Prevalence of Frailty and Its Association with Depressive Symptoms among European Older Adults from 17 Countries: A 5-Year Longitudinal Study

Priscila Marconcin, Sharon Barak, Gerson Ferrari, Élvio R. Gouveia, Marcelo de Maio Nascimento, Renata Willig, Margarida Varela, Adilson Marques

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17 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to examine the association between frailty and depressive symptoms. Methods: Cross-sectional and five-year longitudinal study. Data were from the population-based Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) waves six (2015) and eight (2020). Frailty was assessed using the SHARE-Frailty Instrument. Fatigue, appetite, walking difficulties, and physical activity were self-reported, and grip strength was measured using a handgrip dynamometer. The EURO-D 12-item scale was used to measure depressive symptoms. Results: The sample comprised 25,771 older adults (56.2% female) with a mean age of 66.5 (95% CI 66.4, 66.6) years. The prevalence of frailty was 4.2% (95% CI 3.9, 4.4) in 2015 and 6.7% (95% CI 13.5, 14.3) in 2020. Among frail participants, 72.5% and 69.6% had depression in 2015 and 2020, respectively. Frailty was associated with depression over the 5 years. Those with pre-frailty and those with frailty in 2015 had 1.86 (95% CI 1.71, 2.01) and 2.46 (95% CI 2.14, 2.83) greater odds of having depressive symptoms in 2020. Conclusions: Frailty is a predictor of depression in older adults, and frail participants had greater odds of presenting depressive symptoms.

Original languageEnglish
Article number14055
JournalInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Volume19
Issue number21
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2022

Keywords

  • SHARE database
  • depressive symptoms
  • frailty
  • old age

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