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The Frailty Identity Crisis
Author(s) -
Fillit Howard,
Butler Robert N.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2008.02104.x
Subject(s) - medicine , identity crisis , quality of life (healthcare) , identity (music) , gerontology , depression (economics) , psychology , psychoanalysis , personality , physics , nursing , acoustics , economics , macroeconomics
Frailty is a common and central problem of old age. Recent research has defined frailty as an accumulation of deficits or as a distinct clinical syndrome involving specific comorbid physical disorders and functional impairment, but the psychological aspects of frailty have received little attention. It is proposed that the onset of frailty is associated with an identity crisis, a psychological stage of adult development termed the “frailty identity crisis.” This framework could be useful to focus attention on the psychological aspects of frailty for research and clinical purposes. Early detection, management, and counseling of individuals experiencing the frailty identity crisis has implications for the health and quality of life of frail individuals, their loved ones and caregivers, and society.