Association between physical function and perceived stress among U.S. Chinese older adults

Abstract

Objectives Physical function impairment can cause great stress to older adults. The purpose of the study is to investigate the association between self-reported and directly-observed physical function on perceived stress among U.S. Chinese older adults. Methods Data were from the Population Study of Chinese Elderly in Chicago (PINE) of 3,157 Chinese older adults who were 60 and above in the Greater Chicago Area. Self-reported and directly-observed physical function measures, and Perceived Stress Scale were used. Results Participants had a mean age of 72.8 ± 8.3 years old (range 60–105). Higher scores of Katz activities of daily living impairments (odds ratio [OR]=1.77), Lawton instrumental activities of daily living impartments (OR=1.10, p <0.01), Rosow–Breslau index of mobility scale (OR=1.39, p <0.05), and Nagi index of basic physical activities scale (OR=1.19, p <0.001) were associated with higher levels of perceived stress. In addition, higher scores of directly-observed physical function measurements, including chair stand (OR=0.93), tandem stand (OR=0.71, p <0.05), timed walk (OR=0.73, p <0.001), and the overall measurement (OR= 0.87, p <0.01) were associated with lower level of perceived stress. Discussion Findings suggested that poor physical function was associated with perceived stress among U.S. Chinese older adults. Longitudinal studies are needed to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of the pathways between physical function and perceived stress. Implications for practice Health care professionals could provide personalized physical activity interventions to encourage older adults to engage in regular exercise in order to maintain and promote older adults’ physical function and psychological well-being.

Efficacy of sensory-based static balance training on the balance ability, aging attitude, and perceived stress of older adults in the community: a randomized controlled trial

“…The reason may be that the static balance training lasted only 12 weeks, and the time was too short to improve the perceived stress of older adults in the community. Studies have shown that the main sources of perceived stress for older adults in the community are major diseases, obesity, sleep disorders, and ideological conflicts [ 10 , 44 ]. Sensory-based static balance training cannot fundamentally solve the above problems.…”

“…Up to the age of 60, balance ability can remain relatively intact; however, it gradually diminishes at an approximate rate of 16% every decade thereafter [ 5 ]. The decline in balance significantly increases the risk of falls among older adults and impairs their capacity to effectively perform ADLs [ 6 – 8 ], thus increasing their negative aging attitudes and perceived stress [ 9 , 10 ].…”

Physical and Mental Benefits of 16-Week Functional Fitness Training in Older Adults

“…People with physical limitations may be more vulnerable to stress and have fewer resources to cope with stress, resulting in higher stress levels (de Rekeneire and Volpato 2015). Higher scores of objective physical functioning (including chair stand, tandem stand, timed walking, and overall measurement) were associated with lower levels of perceived stress in older adults (Chao et al 2020). Rueggeberg et al (2012) examined perceived stress's role in the association between physical activities and older adults' physical health.…”

“…Therefore, effective interventions to reduce older adults' physical and cognitive functional decline are public health priorities (Freedman et al 2017;Zlatar et al 2019). Research has shown that apart from physical bene ts, psychological indices like well-being (Steptoe et al 2015), life satisfaction (Gacek et al 2023), happiness (An et al 2020), resilience (Martinez-Moreno et al 2020), perceived stress (Chao et al 2020) can also be positively affected by exercise intervention.…”

Depressive symptoms and daily living dependence in older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus: the mediating role of positive and negative perceived stress

“…For example, negative perceived stress (NPS) can induce an individual to adopt an emotion-focused coping strategy that involves maladaptive coping mechanisms. Therefore, NPS can affect an individual’s IADL dependence [ 27 , 28 ]. By contrast, positive perceived stress (PPS) involve a positive appraisal of stressful situations and can prompt an individual to adopt a problem-solving strategy that influences their self-care behaviors.…”