The onset of falls reduces perceived autonomy among middle aged and older adults. Results from a longitudinal...

The purpose of this study was to identify whether the onset of falls is associated with reduced autonomy among individuals in the second half of life.

Longitudinal data (with 7626 observations) were drawn from the German Ageing Survey, which is a nationally representative sample of individuals residing in private households ≥ 40 years. An established scale developed by Schwarzer was used to assess perceived autonomy. Falls in the preceding 12 months served as the main independent variable. Age, marital status, employment status, income, self-rated health, physical functioning and the number of physical illnesses were adjusted for in the analysis.

Adjusting for potential confounders, linear fixed effects regressions showed that the onset of falls was associated with lower perceived autonomy (β=-0.06, p < .01). This link was moderated by neither sex, age nor education. Moreover, a decrease in perceived autonomy was associated with worsening self-rated health (β=-.03, p < .01) and decreases in physical functioning (β = .002, p < .001). Furthermore, changes from employment to retirement were associated with an increase in perceived autonomy (β = .07, p < .05).

The study findings suggest that avoiding falls may assist in maintaining autonomy in the second half of life.