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The effect of sociodemographic features, hopelessness and anxiety of death on frailty levels of elderlys: A cross-sectional study

Year 2026, Volume: 16 Issue: 1, 117 - 123, 19.03.2026
https://izlik.org/JA22SL95HN

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this research is to investigate the effects of sociodemographic characteristics, hopelessness and anxiety of death of elderly individuals on frailty levels in elderly individuals.
Method: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 402 elderly individuals between January and April 2023. Research data were collected with the Elderly Sociodemographic Features Form, Beck Hopelessness Scale, Templer Death Anxiety Scale and the FRAIL Scale. The data were evaluated with the SPSS 26 package program.
Results: 79.6% of the participants were in the 65-74 age group, hopelessness, anxiety of death and frailty levels respectively 10.14±4.56, 9.17±2.84, and 0.92±0.87.
Conclusion: The study revealed that the hopelessness and anxiety of death levels of elderly individuals were at medium levels, and 60.7% of them were prefragile. When the frailty levels of the elderly individuals participating in the study were compared according to their sociodemographic features, it was found that vulnerability levels differed statistically significantly according to family structure, educational status, employment status, income status, place of residence and smoking status. It was found that hopelessness and chronic disease status significantly predicted frailty

References

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  • 2. Chu W, Chang SF, Ho HY. Adverse health effects of frailty: systematic review and meta-analysis of middle-aged and older adults with implications for evidence-based practice. Worldviews Evidence-Based Nurs. 2021;18(4):282–289. https://doi.org/10.1111/wvn.12508
  • 3. Nair P, Walters K, Aw S, Gould R, Kharicha K, Buszewicz MC, et al. Self-management of depression and anxiety amongst frail older adults in the United Kingdom: a qualitative study. PLoS One. 2022;17(12):e0264603. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0264603
  • 4. Missler M, Stroebe M, Geurtsen L, Mastenbroek M, Chmoun S, Van Der Houwen K. Exploring death anxiety among elderly people: a literature review and empirical investigation. Omega (Westport). 2012;64(4):357–379. https://doi.org/10.2190/OM.64.4.e
  • 5. Alagh T, Ghosh S. Impact of fear of personal death on life satisfaction among older people. J Posit Sch Psychol. 2022;6(5):401–408.
  • 6. Cetinkol G, Bastug G, Kizil ETO. Poor acceptance of the past is related to depressive symptoms in older adults. GeroPsych. 2020;33(4):246–251. https://doi.org/10.1024/1662-9647/a000227
  • 7. Aghababaei N, Sohrabi F, Eskandari H, Borjali A, Farrokhi N, Chen ZJ. Predicting subjective well-being by religious and scientific attitudes with hope, purpose in life, and death anxiety as mediators. Pers Individ Dif. 2016;90:93–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2015.10.046
  • 8. Xue QL. The frailty syndrome: definition and natural history. Clin Geriatr Med. 2011;27(1):1–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cger.2010.08.009
  • 9. Snyder CR, Lopez SJ. Handbook of positive psychology. New York: Oxford University Press; 2001. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195135336.001.0001
  • 10. Lerner J, Li Y, Valdesolo P, Kassam K. Emotion and decision making. Annu Rev Psychol. 2015;66(1):799–823. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115043
  • 11. Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu. İstatistiklerle yaşlılar [Internet]. Accessed April 14; 2023. Ankara: TÜİK; 2022. Available from: https://data.tuik.gov.tr/Bulten/Index?p=Istatistiklerle-Yaslilar-2022-49667
  • 12. Seber G, Dilbaz N, Kaptanoğlu C, Tekin D. Hopelessness scale: validity and reliability. Kriz J. 1993;1(3):139–142. https://doi.org/10.1501/Kriz_0000000045
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  • 14. Hymabaccus Muradi B. Yaşlılarda kırılganlığı ölçmeye yönelik FRAIL ölçeği’nin Türkçe geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışması [medical specialty thesis]. Ankara: Hacettepe University; 2017.
  • 15. George D, Mallery P. IBM SPSS Statistics 26 step by step: a simple guide and reference. 16th ed. New York: Routledge; 2020. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429056765
  • 16. Fong JH. Disability incidence and functional decline among older adults with major chronic diseases. BMC Geriatr. 2019;19(1):323. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-019-1348-z
  • 17. Marmamula S, Modepalli SB, Kumbham TR, Challa R, Keeffe JE. Prevalence of disabilities and non-communicable diseases in an elderly population in the Telangana state, India: a population-based cross-sectional study. BMJ Open. 2021;11(2):e041755. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-041755
  • 18. Romo-Martínez P, Salcedo-Rodríguez PE, Fomina A, Sandoval-Aguilar M, Zumaya N, Cortazar LA, et al. Prevalence of despair and social-demographic factors related of repatriated mexican migrants. Enfermería Univ. 2018;15(1):55–62. https://doi.org/10.22201/eneo.23958421e.2018.1.62908
  • 19. Sarin K P P, Sethi S, Nagar I. Depression and hopelessness in institutionalized elderly: a societal concern. Open J Depress. 2016;5(3):21–27. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojd.2016.53003
  • 20. Salık S, Sarıtaş SÇ. Kalp yetersizlikli hastalarda yaşam kalitesi ve umutsuzluk düzeylerinin belirlenmesi. J Cardiovasc Nurs. 2021;12(29):173–182. https://doi.org/10.5543/khd.2021.51523
  • 21. Bilgin BB, Gökler R. Görme engelli yetişkin bireylerin gelecek beklentileri ve umutsuzluk düzeyleri arasındaki ilişkinin incelenmesi. Sos Polit ve Sos Hizmet Çalışmaları Derg. 2022;3(2):184–203.
  • 22. Mohammadpour A, Sadeghmoghadam L, Shareinia H, Jahani S, Amiri F. Investigating the role of perception of aging and associated factors in death anxiety among the elderly. Clin Interv Aging. 2018;405–410. https://doi.org/10.2147/CIA.S150697
  • 23. Khalvati M, Babakhanian M, Khalvati M, Nafei A, Khalvati M, Ghafuri R. Death anxiety in the elderly in Iran: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Iran J Ageing. 2021;16(2):152–171. https://doi.org/10.32598/sija.16.2.862.2
  • 24. Mete B, Tanir F, Kanat C. The effect of fear of COVID-19 and social isolation on the fragility in the elderly. Turk Geriatr Derg. 2021;24(1):23–31. https://doi.org/10.31086/tjgeri.2021.196
  • 25. Vieira GÂCM, Costa EP, Medeiros ACT, Costa MML, Rocha FAT. Avaliação da fragilidade em idosos participantes de um centro de convivência. Rev Pesqui Cuid Fundam (Online). 2017;9(1):114–121. https://doi.org/10.9789/2175-5361.2017.v9i1.114-121
  • 26. Kurtoğlu S, İnkaya B. Level of frailty and self-efficacy in elderly individuals with type 2 diabetes: descriptive research. Turkiye Klin J Nurs Sci. 2022;14(3):825–834. https://doi.org/10.5336/nurses.2021-86451
  • 27. Yalınkılıç M. Kalp Yetersizliği olan yaşlı bireylerin kırılganlık durumunun belirlenmesi. J Cardiovasc Nurs. 2020;11(25):51–59. https://doi.org/10.5543/khd.2020.06025
  • 28. Canbolat Seyman C, Sara Y. The opinions of Turkish older adults related to frailty: a qualitative study. Orthop Nurs. 2021;40(6):375–382. https://doi.org/10.1097/NOR.0000000000000785
  • 29. Liu T, Wong G, Luo H, Tang J, Lum T. Wish for the future and active engagement in life: an ecological momentary assessment study. Innov Aging. 2018;2(Suppl 1):1011. https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igy031.3735
  • 30. Astrone P, Perracini MR, Martin FC, Marsh DR, Cesari M. The potential of assessment based on the WHO framework of intrinsic capacity in fragility fracture prevention. Aging Clin Exp Res. 2022;34(11):2635–2643. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-022-02186-w

Year 2026, Volume: 16 Issue: 1, 117 - 123, 19.03.2026
https://izlik.org/JA22SL95HN

Abstract

References

  • 1. Kang H, Kim H. Ageism and psychological well-being among older adults: a systematic review. Gerontol Geriatr Med. 2022;8:23337214221087023. https://doi.org/10.1177/23337214221087023
  • 2. Chu W, Chang SF, Ho HY. Adverse health effects of frailty: systematic review and meta-analysis of middle-aged and older adults with implications for evidence-based practice. Worldviews Evidence-Based Nurs. 2021;18(4):282–289. https://doi.org/10.1111/wvn.12508
  • 3. Nair P, Walters K, Aw S, Gould R, Kharicha K, Buszewicz MC, et al. Self-management of depression and anxiety amongst frail older adults in the United Kingdom: a qualitative study. PLoS One. 2022;17(12):e0264603. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0264603
  • 4. Missler M, Stroebe M, Geurtsen L, Mastenbroek M, Chmoun S, Van Der Houwen K. Exploring death anxiety among elderly people: a literature review and empirical investigation. Omega (Westport). 2012;64(4):357–379. https://doi.org/10.2190/OM.64.4.e
  • 5. Alagh T, Ghosh S. Impact of fear of personal death on life satisfaction among older people. J Posit Sch Psychol. 2022;6(5):401–408.
  • 6. Cetinkol G, Bastug G, Kizil ETO. Poor acceptance of the past is related to depressive symptoms in older adults. GeroPsych. 2020;33(4):246–251. https://doi.org/10.1024/1662-9647/a000227
  • 7. Aghababaei N, Sohrabi F, Eskandari H, Borjali A, Farrokhi N, Chen ZJ. Predicting subjective well-being by religious and scientific attitudes with hope, purpose in life, and death anxiety as mediators. Pers Individ Dif. 2016;90:93–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2015.10.046
  • 8. Xue QL. The frailty syndrome: definition and natural history. Clin Geriatr Med. 2011;27(1):1–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cger.2010.08.009
  • 9. Snyder CR, Lopez SJ. Handbook of positive psychology. New York: Oxford University Press; 2001. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195135336.001.0001
  • 10. Lerner J, Li Y, Valdesolo P, Kassam K. Emotion and decision making. Annu Rev Psychol. 2015;66(1):799–823. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115043
  • 11. Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu. İstatistiklerle yaşlılar [Internet]. Accessed April 14; 2023. Ankara: TÜİK; 2022. Available from: https://data.tuik.gov.tr/Bulten/Index?p=Istatistiklerle-Yaslilar-2022-49667
  • 12. Seber G, Dilbaz N, Kaptanoğlu C, Tekin D. Hopelessness scale: validity and reliability. Kriz J. 1993;1(3):139–142. https://doi.org/10.1501/Kriz_0000000045
  • 13. Şenol C. Ankara ilindeki huzurevlerinde yaşayan yaşlılarda ölüm kaygısı ve ölüm korkusu [master’s thesis]. Ankara: Ankara University; 1989.
  • 14. Hymabaccus Muradi B. Yaşlılarda kırılganlığı ölçmeye yönelik FRAIL ölçeği’nin Türkçe geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışması [medical specialty thesis]. Ankara: Hacettepe University; 2017.
  • 15. George D, Mallery P. IBM SPSS Statistics 26 step by step: a simple guide and reference. 16th ed. New York: Routledge; 2020. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429056765
  • 16. Fong JH. Disability incidence and functional decline among older adults with major chronic diseases. BMC Geriatr. 2019;19(1):323. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-019-1348-z
  • 17. Marmamula S, Modepalli SB, Kumbham TR, Challa R, Keeffe JE. Prevalence of disabilities and non-communicable diseases in an elderly population in the Telangana state, India: a population-based cross-sectional study. BMJ Open. 2021;11(2):e041755. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-041755
  • 18. Romo-Martínez P, Salcedo-Rodríguez PE, Fomina A, Sandoval-Aguilar M, Zumaya N, Cortazar LA, et al. Prevalence of despair and social-demographic factors related of repatriated mexican migrants. Enfermería Univ. 2018;15(1):55–62. https://doi.org/10.22201/eneo.23958421e.2018.1.62908
  • 19. Sarin K P P, Sethi S, Nagar I. Depression and hopelessness in institutionalized elderly: a societal concern. Open J Depress. 2016;5(3):21–27. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojd.2016.53003
  • 20. Salık S, Sarıtaş SÇ. Kalp yetersizlikli hastalarda yaşam kalitesi ve umutsuzluk düzeylerinin belirlenmesi. J Cardiovasc Nurs. 2021;12(29):173–182. https://doi.org/10.5543/khd.2021.51523
  • 21. Bilgin BB, Gökler R. Görme engelli yetişkin bireylerin gelecek beklentileri ve umutsuzluk düzeyleri arasındaki ilişkinin incelenmesi. Sos Polit ve Sos Hizmet Çalışmaları Derg. 2022;3(2):184–203.
  • 22. Mohammadpour A, Sadeghmoghadam L, Shareinia H, Jahani S, Amiri F. Investigating the role of perception of aging and associated factors in death anxiety among the elderly. Clin Interv Aging. 2018;405–410. https://doi.org/10.2147/CIA.S150697
  • 23. Khalvati M, Babakhanian M, Khalvati M, Nafei A, Khalvati M, Ghafuri R. Death anxiety in the elderly in Iran: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Iran J Ageing. 2021;16(2):152–171. https://doi.org/10.32598/sija.16.2.862.2
  • 24. Mete B, Tanir F, Kanat C. The effect of fear of COVID-19 and social isolation on the fragility in the elderly. Turk Geriatr Derg. 2021;24(1):23–31. https://doi.org/10.31086/tjgeri.2021.196
  • 25. Vieira GÂCM, Costa EP, Medeiros ACT, Costa MML, Rocha FAT. Avaliação da fragilidade em idosos participantes de um centro de convivência. Rev Pesqui Cuid Fundam (Online). 2017;9(1):114–121. https://doi.org/10.9789/2175-5361.2017.v9i1.114-121
  • 26. Kurtoğlu S, İnkaya B. Level of frailty and self-efficacy in elderly individuals with type 2 diabetes: descriptive research. Turkiye Klin J Nurs Sci. 2022;14(3):825–834. https://doi.org/10.5336/nurses.2021-86451
  • 27. Yalınkılıç M. Kalp Yetersizliği olan yaşlı bireylerin kırılganlık durumunun belirlenmesi. J Cardiovasc Nurs. 2020;11(25):51–59. https://doi.org/10.5543/khd.2020.06025
  • 28. Canbolat Seyman C, Sara Y. The opinions of Turkish older adults related to frailty: a qualitative study. Orthop Nurs. 2021;40(6):375–382. https://doi.org/10.1097/NOR.0000000000000785
  • 29. Liu T, Wong G, Luo H, Tang J, Lum T. Wish for the future and active engagement in life: an ecological momentary assessment study. Innov Aging. 2018;2(Suppl 1):1011. https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igy031.3735
  • 30. Astrone P, Perracini MR, Martin FC, Marsh DR, Cesari M. The potential of assessment based on the WHO framework of intrinsic capacity in fragility fracture prevention. Aging Clin Exp Res. 2022;34(11):2635–2643. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-022-02186-w
There are 30 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Preventative Health Care
Journal Section Research Article
Authors

Gönül Gökçay

Derya Şimşekli

Submission Date March 5, 2025
Acceptance Date November 6, 2025
Publication Date March 19, 2026
IZ https://izlik.org/JA22SL95HN
Published in Issue Year 2026 Volume: 16 Issue: 1

Cite

APA Gökçay, G., & Şimşekli, D. (2026). The effect of sociodemographic features, hopelessness and anxiety of death on frailty levels of elderlys: A cross-sectional study. Kafkas Journal of Medical Sciences, 16(1), 117-123. https://izlik.org/JA22SL95HN
AMA 1.Gökçay G, Şimşekli D. The effect of sociodemographic features, hopelessness and anxiety of death on frailty levels of elderlys: A cross-sectional study. Kafkas Journal of Medical Sciences. 2026;16(1):117-123. https://izlik.org/JA22SL95HN
Chicago Gökçay, Gönül, and Derya Şimşekli. 2026. “The Effect of Sociodemographic Features, Hopelessness and Anxiety of Death on Frailty Levels of Elderlys: A Cross-Sectional Study”. Kafkas Journal of Medical Sciences 16 (1): 117-23. https://izlik.org/JA22SL95HN.
EndNote Gökçay G, Şimşekli D (March 1, 2026) The effect of sociodemographic features, hopelessness and anxiety of death on frailty levels of elderlys: A cross-sectional study. Kafkas Journal of Medical Sciences 16 1 117–123.
IEEE [1]G. Gökçay and D. Şimşekli, “The effect of sociodemographic features, hopelessness and anxiety of death on frailty levels of elderlys: A cross-sectional study”, Kafkas Journal of Medical Sciences, vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 117–123, Mar. 2026, [Online]. Available: https://izlik.org/JA22SL95HN
ISNAD Gökçay, Gönül - Şimşekli, Derya. “The Effect of Sociodemographic Features, Hopelessness and Anxiety of Death on Frailty Levels of Elderlys: A Cross-Sectional Study”. Kafkas Journal of Medical Sciences 16/1 (March 1, 2026): 117-123. https://izlik.org/JA22SL95HN.
JAMA 1.Gökçay G, Şimşekli D. The effect of sociodemographic features, hopelessness and anxiety of death on frailty levels of elderlys: A cross-sectional study. Kafkas Journal of Medical Sciences. 2026;16:117–123.
MLA Gökçay, Gönül, and Derya Şimşekli. “The Effect of Sociodemographic Features, Hopelessness and Anxiety of Death on Frailty Levels of Elderlys: A Cross-Sectional Study”. Kafkas Journal of Medical Sciences, vol. 16, no. 1, Mar. 2026, pp. 117-23, https://izlik.org/JA22SL95HN.
Vancouver 1.Gönül Gökçay, Derya Şimşekli. The effect of sociodemographic features, hopelessness and anxiety of death on frailty levels of elderlys: A cross-sectional study. Kafkas Journal of Medical Sciences [Internet]. 2026 Mar. 1;16(1):117-23. Available from: https://izlik.org/JA22SL95HN