Higher Levels of Psychological Resilience Beneficial Among OAs Following Hip Fracture

Greater walking speed and distance were linked to higher levels of psychological resilience among older adults (OAs) following hip fracture, according to recent findings published in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

With OAs failing to achieve adequate walking capacity following surgery and rehabilitation post hip fracture, researchers investigated the effects of psychological resilience on observed walking capacity in this population.

Study authors extracted data from the Community Ambulation Project, which was a clinical trial of 210 community-dwelling OAs aged ≥60 years who suffered a minimal trauma hip fracture and randomized to 1 of 2 16-week home-based physical therapist-guided interventions.

The 6-item Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) was utilized to measure psychological resilience at baseline. The 4-Meter Gait Speed (4MGS), 50-Foot Walk Test (50FWT), and 6-Minute Walk Distance (SMWD) was used to examine walking capacity at study baseline and 16 weeks after.

“In multivariate analyses of covariance in which 16-week follow-up values of each walking measure were outcomes, covariates included clinical trial arm, gender, age, and baseline values of: walking measure corresponding to the outcome; body mass index; depressive symptom severity; degree of psychological optimism; cognitive status; informal caregiver need; and days from hospital admission to randomization,” wrote researchers.

According to study authors, increases between baseline and 16 weeks in mean gait speed in meters/sec (m/s) and walking distance in meters (m) resulted in 4MGS, 50FWT and SMWD were .06 m/s (P = .061), .11 m/s (P < .01), and 25.5 m (P = .056) greater.

“Psychological resilience represents a potentially clinically important pathway and intervention target, toward the goal of improving walking capacity among older adults known to have substantial residual disability following hip fracture,” concluded study authors.

Reference:
Soliman G, Fortinsky RH, Mangione K, et al. Impact of psychological resilience on walking capacity in older adults following hip fracture. J Am Geriatr Soc. Published online July 20, 2022. doi:10.1111/jgs.17930