The role of physical and psychological variables in predicting the outcome of hospitalization in very old adults

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine predictors of functional outcome in hospitalized geriatric patients with a focus on psychological variables, as these have been somewhat neglected in this population. A prospective study was conducted in aged-care wards in Melbourne, Australia. Consecutively admitted patients (n = 100, mean age 82 years) completed measures of health status, anxiety, depression, self-efficacy, personality and coping. Two months later data were collected with respect to three outcomes, namely overall functioning, ability to carry out activities of daily living as measured by the Barthel Index (BI), and quality of life (QoL), as measured by the assessment of quality of life (AQoL) instrument. Syndromal depression was highly prevalent (28%) and syndromal anxiety was less common (5% prevalence), but neither was predictive of functional outcome. The strongest predictor of outcome was physical health status on admission to hospital. The results suggest that in physically unwell, very old populations, physical health factors may be stronger predictors of functioning than psychological variables. The findings also highlight some difficulties in the use of psychological measures in old-old populations, and the need for more research that recognizes the oldest old as a distinct group.