Older and feeling unsafe? Differences in underlying vulnerability, anxiety and life satisfaction among older adults.

Nadezhda Golovchanova, Brittany Evans, Karin Hellfeldt, Henrik Andershed, Katja Boersma
Author Information
  1. Nadezhda Golovchanova: School of Law, Psychology and Social Work, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.
  2. Brittany Evans: School of Law, Psychology and Social Work, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.
  3. Karin Hellfeldt: School of Law, Psychology and Social Work, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.
  4. Henrik Andershed: School of Law, Psychology and Social Work, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.
  5. Katja Boersma: School of Law, Psychology and Social Work, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.

Abstract

Feeling safe in the daily environment is important in late life. However, research on configuration of vulnerability factors for perceived unsafety in older adults is scarce. The current study aimed to identify latent subgroups of older adults based on their vulnerability for perceived unsafety. We analyzed the data from a cross-sectional survey of residents in senior apartments in a mid-sized Swedish municipality ( = 622). The results of the latent profile analysis based on frailty, fear of falling, social support, perceived neighborhood problems, and trust in others in the neighborhood indicated the presence of three profiles. These profiles were labelled as compromised body and social networks (7.2%), compromised context (17.9%) and non-vulnerable (74.9%). Profile membership was statistically predicted by age, gender, and family status and profiles differed in perceived unsafety, anxiety and life satisfaction. Overall, the study findings suggested the existence of latent subgroups of older people based on patterns of vulnerability.

Keywords

MeSH Term

Humans
Aged
Cross-Sectional Studies
Accidental Falls
Fear
Residence Characteristics
Anxiety
Personal Satisfaction

Word Cloud

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