SynthesisBMC geriatrics2026
Longitudinal associations of psychosocial factors and fear of falling in older adults: a systematic review.
Synthesis in BMC geriatrics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- COVID-19 Impact on Health Behaviors and Survey Engagement in Older African Americans: Longitudinal Cohort Study.JMIR formative research · 2026Observational
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundFear of falling (FOF) is a phenomenon prevalent among older adults associated with adverse outcomes, including reduced mental and physical health, decreased quality of life, and an overall reduction in social participation. Based on cross-sectional and longitudinal studies, recent reviews have provided information on the prevalence of FOF and its association with different health outcomes. To gain a deeper understanding of factors relevant to interventions to prevent or reduce FOF, this review goes beyond previous evidence syntheses by focusing on psychosocial factors that are longitudinally associated with FOF. The objective of the review is to provide an overview on evidence levels of psychosocial factors assumed to be longitudinally associated with FOF.
methodsStudies examining associations between psychosocial factors (predictors) and FOF (outcome) longitudinally were included. Cochrane CENTRAL, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched up to October 25, 2025. An ordinal rating scheme was used for data synthesis to assess beyond sociodemographic variables and other psychosocial factors. A modified version of the Newcastle-Ottawa scale was employed to evaluate study quality.
resultsSixteen studies (n at baseline: 255-9,060) with a total of 30,724 participants reported longitudinal associations of 14 psychosocial factors with FOF. Higher depressive symptoms, anxiety, negative affect, and symptom burden, lower social activity, social participation, emotional support, and feeling older were linked to higher FOF. The relationship between depressive symptoms and higher FOF showed the most robust evidence, with six studies finding evidence for incremental validity of depressive symptoms beyond sociodemographic variables and other psychosocial factors. In contrast, higher self-efficacy, positive affect, social support, and social cohesion were associated with lower FOF. In some cases, the magnitude of associations was reduced when controlling for other variables.
conclusionThe evidence base remained weak for psychosocial factors other than depressive symptoms. Further longitudinal research is needed on the role of psychosocial factors for FOF. Such studies enlarge the evidence base for factors identified in this review and should include additional factors (e.g., loneliness). Our findings highlight the need for further research on the relationship between depressive symptoms and FOF for the development of effective interventions.
trial registrationPre-registration ID: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/X5ZGR.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.