The Relationship between Physical Function and Resilience in Community Dwelling Older Adults
Jamie Bailey, SPT; Samantha Cooper, SPT; Ashlee Delaney, SPT; Heidi McCarthy, SPT; Rachel Smith, SPT
Faculty Mentor: Ann Marie Decker, PT, MSA, GCS
Purpose and Hypothesis: The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between resilience and physical function in community-dwelling older adults. We hypothesized that older adults who scored higher on the Resilience Scale are also more likely to have a high score on physical function tests. Subjects: There were eighty-two participants between ages 55-92 who volunteered for the study across multiple community settings. The mean age was 68.16 years with a standard deviation of 9.4 years. Participants included 52 females and 30 males. Seventy-eight of the participants completed the entire study and were included in the data analysis; four participants were excluded due to incomplete data. Methods: Analysis of variance was used for a multi factorial research design. A total of four tests were administered randomly to each subject. Self-reported measures included the Resilience Scale (RS-14) and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Physical performance tests included the 10 meter walk test (10MWT) for fast and typical gait speed and the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). Results: The sample of older adults had moderate levels of resilience and on average did not exhibit any levels of depression. Those with no levels of depression had a higher resilience score. Physical function tests did not show a significant correlation with resilience or depression. Resilience was shown to be fairly significant with the GDS scores among 13% of the results. All data was included in analysis. Discussion: The inverse relationship between resilience and depression suggests higher levels of resilience are related to lower levels of depression. Future studies should expand on the relationship between resilience, depression, and physical function in a broader sample of older adults with a wider range of physical capabilities. Conclusion: The results of our study showed no relationship between resilience scores and physical function as measured by the 10MWT and SBBP. There was a fairly significant correlation between depression and resilience. The participants in this study who scored higher on the resilience scale were found to score lower on the GDS which warrants further study.
Faculty Mentor: Ann Marie Decker, PT, MSA, GCS
Purpose and Hypothesis: The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between resilience and physical function in community-dwelling older adults. We hypothesized that older adults who scored higher on the Resilience Scale are also more likely to have a high score on physical function tests. Subjects: There were eighty-two participants between ages 55-92 who volunteered for the study across multiple community settings. The mean age was 68.16 years with a standard deviation of 9.4 years. Participants included 52 females and 30 males. Seventy-eight of the participants completed the entire study and were included in the data analysis; four participants were excluded due to incomplete data. Methods: Analysis of variance was used for a multi factorial research design. A total of four tests were administered randomly to each subject. Self-reported measures included the Resilience Scale (RS-14) and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Physical performance tests included the 10 meter walk test (10MWT) for fast and typical gait speed and the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB). Results: The sample of older adults had moderate levels of resilience and on average did not exhibit any levels of depression. Those with no levels of depression had a higher resilience score. Physical function tests did not show a significant correlation with resilience or depression. Resilience was shown to be fairly significant with the GDS scores among 13% of the results. All data was included in analysis. Discussion: The inverse relationship between resilience and depression suggests higher levels of resilience are related to lower levels of depression. Future studies should expand on the relationship between resilience, depression, and physical function in a broader sample of older adults with a wider range of physical capabilities. Conclusion: The results of our study showed no relationship between resilience scores and physical function as measured by the 10MWT and SBBP. There was a fairly significant correlation between depression and resilience. The participants in this study who scored higher on the resilience scale were found to score lower on the GDS which warrants further study.