Depressive symptoms associated with concerns about falling in Parkinson's disease

Concerns about falling, a construct related to fear of falling, is increased in people with Parkinson's disease (PD) and is recognized as a barrier for exercise, negatively affecting health-related quality of life and participation.

To investigate modifiable factors associated with concerns about falling in elderly with mild-to-moderate PD.

Eighty-nine elderly (39 females, mean age 73 years) with mild-to-moderate PD were recruited. Concerns about falling were assessed with the Falls Efficacy Scale-international, that is, the dependent variable in multiple linear regression analysis. Independent variables included both motor (e.g., objective measures of physical activity and gait) and nonmotor aspects such as depressive symptoms.

A model with three significant independent variables explained 33% of the variance in concerns about falling. According to the standardized regression coefficients (β), the strongest contributing factor was depressive symptoms (0.40), followed by balance performance (-0.25), and use of mobility devices (0.24).

The findings imply that factors associated with concerns about falling are a multifactorial phenomenon. For its management in elderly with mild-to-moderate PD, one should consider depressive symptoms, balance deficits, and mobility devices.