Bridging vulnerability and vitality: a five-factor perspective on resilience and frailty in older adults

The oldest-old are the fastest-growing age group with age-related decline increasing frailty risk. Identifying protective factors is crucial. This study examines the association between psychological resilience (PR) and frailty among octogenarians, focusing on the factor structure of the PR scale, and its predictive power for frailty progression over a two-year period.

Data from the longitudinal 'BrUssels sTudy on The Early pRedictors of FraiLtY' (BUTTERFLY) were analyzed. The factor structure of CD-RISC (n = 405; M_age = 82.94 (2.72)) was evaluated with an exploratory factor analysis. The predictive value of PR (n = 354) was assessed by using logistic regression (LR).

Five factors explained 58% of the total variance. LR demonstrated that Persistence (OR = 0.946; 95%CI 0.906-0.989; p = 0.013), Adaptive coping (OR = 0.915; 95%CI 0.863-0.969; p = 0.002), Perceived social support (OR = 0.900; 95%CI 0.811-1.000; p = 0.050), and the total PR score (OR = 0.786; 95%CI 0.959-0.993; p = 0.006) measured at baseline, were significantly associated with frailty status transition.

This study provides valuable insights on how PR is expressed within this specific oldest-old cohort group, demonstrating that distinct PR subdomains contribute differently to a buffering role against frailty progression.