Quality of life attenuates age-related decline in functional status of older adults

Yuval Palgi, Amit Shrira, Oleg Zaslavsky

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

35 Scopus citations

Abstract

Purpose: In the present study, we aimed to examine the total and moderating effects of needs-satisfaction-driven quality-of-life (QoL) measure on age-related change in functional status. Methods: Participants in the Survey of Health and Retirement in Europe (N = 18,781 at Wave 1) completed a measure of QoL (CASP-12) at baseline and reported their functional status across subsequent three waves using activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), and functional limitation indices. Results: Growth-curve model estimates revealed that aged individuals with lower QoL scores at baseline had a steeper increase in disability deficits accumulation and functional limitation progression than their counterparts with a higher sense of QoL. The effects were more pronounced in ADL and IADL disability scales in which QoL moderated both linear and quadratic age-related changes. Conclusions: Higher QoL attenuates processes of functional decline in late adulthood. Practitioners may seek strategies for improving and enhancing patients’ QoL, as its salutary effects diffuse beyond psychological experience and include long-term effects on physical functioning.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1835-1843
Number of pages9
JournalQuality of Life Research
Volume24
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - 21 Aug 2015

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2015, Springer International Publishing Switzerland.

Funding

This paper uses data from SHARE Wave 1 and 2 release 2.5.0, as of May 24, 2011, and SHARE Wave 4 release 1.1.1, as of March 28, 2013. The SHARE data collection has been primarily funded by the European Commission through the 5th Framework Program (project QLK6-CT-2001-00360 in the thematic program Quality of Life), through the 6th Framework Program (projects SHARE-I3, RII-CT-2006-062193, COMPARE, CIT5-CT-2005-028857), and through the 7th Framework Program (SHARE-PREP, No. 211909, SHARE-LEAP, No. 227822 and SHARE M4, No. 261982). Additional funding from the U.S. National Institute on Aging (U01 AG09740-13S2, P01 AG005842, P01 AG08291, P30 AG12815, R21 AG025169, Y1-AG-4553-01, IAG BSR06-11 and OGHA 04-064) and the German Ministry of Education and Research as well as from various national sources is gratefully acknowledged (see www.share-project.org for a full list of funding institutions).

FundersFunder number
National Institute on AgingR21 AG025169, Y1-AG-4553-01, IAG BSR06-11, P30 AG12815, P01 AG08291, OGHA 04-064, P01AG005842, U01 AG09740-13S2
Seventh Framework Programme261982, 211909, 227822
Sixth Framework ProgrammeRII-CT-2006-062193, CIT5-CT-2005-028857
Fifth Framework ProgrammeQLK6-CT-2001-00360
European Commission
Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung

    Keywords

    • Accelerated decline
    • Disability
    • Functional limitation
    • Functional status
    • Older adults
    • Quality of life

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Quality of life attenuates age-related decline in functional status of older adults'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this