Background: Although fear of falling (FOF) has been studied since FOF has negative consequences for the elderly, there is limited information about the risk factors of FOF, including the environment. The purpose of this study was to describe individual and environmental factors of FOF between those with and without a fall history from an ecological aspect and to examine whether individual and environmental factors differently affect the FOF according to the state of fall history in community-dwelling older adults in Korea. Methods: Data from the 2014 Survey of Living Conditions and Welfare Needs of Korean Older Adults were used. Participants were 7730 older adults. Hierarchical logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the predictors of FOF. Results: According to the ecological model, female and discomfort with the neighborhood environment were significantly associated with greater odds of reporting FOF in both older adults with fall history and those without. A significant interaction was not observed between any variable of FOF in participants with and without a fall history. Conclusions: An ecological model including individual and environmental factors should be considered when conducting research and designing programs and decision policies related to FOF for older adults with and without a history of falling.

A multidimensional construct of general characteristics, physical, and psychosocial variables act as risk factors for FOF. Preventive intervention should be developed to decrease the FOF among Korean older adults.

No abstract

The purpose of the current study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Korean version of the Perceived Stress Scale-10 (K-PSS-10). After translation and back-translation of the original PSS-10, a convenience sample of 342 community-dwelling older adults was recruited from senior community centers. Data were analyzed using factor analysis, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and Cronbach's alpha. Using factor analysis with principal axis factoring with oblimin rotation, two factors were extracted. The two-factor solution explained 49.71% of the total variance. Internal consistency values for negative and positive subdomains were 0.87 and 0.71, respectively. Moderate relationships were found between a negative response to stress and depression (r = 0.42, p < 0.001) and quality of life (r = -0.45, p < 0.001). A positive response to stress had moderate significant correlations with depression (r = 0.30, p < 0.001) and quality of life (r = -0.36, p < 0.001). Overall, the K-PSS-10 had good reliability, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.75. The K-PSS-10 demonstrated the desired psychometric properties and was easy to use to assess the stress of community-dwelling older adults in Korea.