【Abstract】Objective To explore the influencing factors for fear of falling in the elderly in order to provide a reference for develop-ing precise intervention programs to reduce the fear of falling in them. Methods With continuous sampling, 207 elderly patients who attended the Outpatient Clinic of Falling of First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital were subjected from July 2023 to February 2024. They were investigated by using a general information questionnaire, falls efficacy scale international, Connor-Davidson resilience scale, social support rating scale, simplified coping style questionnaire, and Pittsburgh sleep quality index. Based on their score for fear of falling, the participants were stratified into low-, moderate-, and high-level fear of falling groups (113,48 and 46 cases, respectively). Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS 29.0. Intergroup differences were compared via AVOVA, Kruskal-Wallis H test, Chi-square test or Fisher′s exact probability test depending on data type. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was employed to identify the influencing factors for fear of falling at different levels. Results The 207 patients had a median score of 21.0 (17.0,32.0) for fear of falling. The participants of low-, moderate-, and high-level fear of falling accounted for 54.59% (113/207), 23.19% (48/207), and 22.22% (46/207), respectively. Significant differences were observed among the three groups in terms of falling history within one year, fracture due to falls, neurological disorders, using walking aids, hearing impairment, somatosensory impairment, psychological resilience, and sleep quality (P<0.05). Multinomial logistic regression analysis indicated that fracture due to falls, neurological disorders, somatosensory impairment, and low psychological resilience were risk factors for moderate-level fear of falling (P<0.05); falling history within one year, fracture due to falls, hearing impairment, somatosensory impairment, using walking aids, low psychological resilience and poorer sleep quality were risk factors for high-level fear of falling (P<0.001). Conclusion Heterogeneity exists in fear of falling among older adults. Healthcare professionals should focus on those with lower psychological resilience and higher risk for falls, incorporate resilience assessment into fear management, and develop individualized interventions to reduce the fear of falling.

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2023YFC3603905) and the Young IndependentInnovative Science Foundation of Chinese PLA General Hospital (22QNFC033).