PREDICTORS OF FEAR OF FALLING IN DIZZY AND NONDIZZY ELDERLY

Fear of falling may constitute an independent risk factor for disabili ty, leading older people to unnecessarily restrict their activity. Six ty older adults with chronic dizziness and 66 healthy controls were st udied to help clarify the interrelationships among demographic factors , psychological status, physical health, and fear of falling. Chronic dizziness was strongly associated with fear of falling; among dizzy pa tients, nearly half (47%) expressed fear of falling, in comparison wit h 3% of controls. In participants with dizziness, 3 factors predicted fear of falling: an activity of daily living score, the revised Sympto m Checklist 90 Depression (Derogatis, 1983) score, and stability when standing with feet together. These results support the concept that fe ar of falling is multiply determined and that psychological factors pl ay a major role in influencing the symptoms and responses in many olde r patients with dizziness.