Relationship between hospitalised older people’s fear of falling and adaptation to old age, quality of life, anxiety and depression

Background Fear of falling affects older people physically and psychosocially, causing a decrease in their daily activities. Objectives The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between fear of falling (FoF) in hospitalised older people and their difficulty in adapting to old age, quality of life, anxiety, depression and other associated factors. Methods This descriptive correlational study was carried out in a university hospital. The sample consisted of 409 hospitalised older patients. The data were collected using the Falls Efficacy Scale International, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Assessment Scale of Adaptation Difficulty for the Elderly (ASADE) and the Adaptation of Quality of Life Scale in Older People (CASP‐19). Results It was found that 74.1% of the older people were found to have high FoF. Five models were created to determine the predictors of FoF, of which Model 5 explained 61% of the total variance (F = 42.455, p = .000). Among the independent variables included in Model 5, being a woman (β = −086, 95% CI −3.5 to −0.52, p = .008), having a chronic disease (β = .293, 95% CI 6.3–10.01, p