Title : The mediating role of social participation between fear of falling and quality of life among older adults in China
Abstract:
Introduction: Fear of falling has emerged as an essential factor affecting the quality of life among older adults; however, the specific role that social participation plays in the association between fear of falling and quality of life has not been clearly elucidated.
Objective: This study aims to explore the mediating role of social participation in the association between fear of falling and quality of life among older adults in physical pre-frailty.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey method was used to select 250 elderly people with pre-frailty in three communities in Zhengzhou, China, from February 2025 to April 2025. Participants were assessed using a demographic questionnaire, the Modified Fall Efficacy Scale, the social participation scale, and the 12-Item Short Form Health Survey. Analysis involved SPSS and PROCESS Model 4 to assess mediation effects.
Results: the Modified Fall Efficacy Scale is an inverse scale, with higher scores and lower fear of falling. Correlation analysis showed that fear of falling was significantly positively correlated with social participation (r=0.454, p<0.01), physical health (r=0.322, p<0.01), and mental health (r=0.427, p<0.01). Social participation was significantly positively correlated with physical health (r=0.309, p<0.01) and mental health (r=0.356, p<0.01). Mediation effect analyses indicated that social participation had a partial mediating effect on the impact of fear of falling on physical health and mental health, accounting for 28.92% and 21.72% of the total effect.
Conclusion: The quality of life of the elderly in physical pre-frailty needs to be improved, and social participation plays a partial mediating effect between their fear of falling and quality of life. Community caregivers may actively promote social participation and improve quality of life.
