Open AccessFear of Falling in People With Chronic Stroke
Author(s) -
Arlene A. Schmid,
Sarah Arnold,
Val Jones,
Marjorie J. Albohm Merrill A. Ritter,
Stephanie Sapp,
Marieke Van Puymbroeck
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
american journal of occupational therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.646
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1943-7676
pISSN - 0272-9490
DOI - 10.5014/ajot.2015.016253
Subject(s) - falling (accident) , fear of falling , stroke (engine) , physical medicine and rehabilitation , chronic stroke , medicine , psychology , physical therapy , injury prevention , poison control , medical emergency , psychiatry , rehabilitation , mechanical engineering , engineering
OBJECTIVE. We assessed the prevalence of fear of falling (FoF) in a sample of people with chronic stroke and compared multiple variables (balance, anxiety, depression, activity and participation, and stroke severity) in people with and without FoF. METHOD. This study was a secondary analysis of data collected from a cross-sectional study of mobility after stroke in 77 participants with chronic stroke (>6 mo poststroke). RESULTS. Of the 77 participants, 51 (66%) reported experiencing FoF. People with FoF had significantly decreased balance (p < .001) and activity and participation (p = .006) and significantly increased anxiety (p = .007). People with FoF also had significantly worse stroke severity (p = .001). CONCLUSION. FoF is a prevalent concern in the chronic stroke population. The presence of FoF was associated with a variety of negative consequences. Occupational therapy practitioners should address FoF to help clients manage FoF and possibly improve recovery.
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