Quality Of Life, Depression, and Frailty in Older Adults: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Frailty and depression have gained the attention of scholars over the past few decades. Frailty can play an essential role in impacting the different aspects of quality of life and depression can play a moderating role in this association. Aims: This study aims to examine the proportion of frailty and depression, study the associations of frailty and depression with quality of life and assess the moderating role of depression in the association between frailty and quality of life. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted including 100 community-dwelling older adults. Frailty was measured using the Edmonton Frailty Scale (EFS), depression using patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and quality of life using WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. Multiple regression analyses were used to examine the associations between frailty, depression, and quality of life, and moderation analysis was conducted to assess the role of depression. Results: Frailty was significantly associated with physical quality of life but not other quality of life domains. Depression moderated the relationship between frailty and psychological domain of quality of life. Conclusion: These findings highlight the importance of considering both frailty and depressive symptoms when evaluating quality of life among older adults in Lebanon. Interventions targeting physical and mental health simultaneously may help improve overall well-being in this population.