Psychosocial and behavioral dimensions of physical frailty

Findings from a decade of research on physical frailty in diverse elderly populations are summarized and integrated. While much of the literature focuses on the physical and functional consequences of chronic and acute illness, we emphasize the psychosocial and behavioral aspects of physical frailty. The underlying assumption of our approach is that the psychological representation of illness and disability, as well as the social contexts in which they occur, are important determinants of their impact on patients and family members. We focus on both patients and their primary support persons and on the comparative analysis of different disabling conditions. A patient and family caregiver impact model is used to summarize major findings of our research program and to make recommendations for intervention research.