- Data, Statistics and AI for Well-Being of People and Organisations
- A cura di Luigi Fabbris, Alberto Franci, Pietro Renzi
Psychosocial determinants of frailty trajectories: A multistate analysis of European ageing
- Agostino Stavolo
- Giulia Cavrini
- Viviana Egidi
- © 2026 Author(s) |
- CC BY 4.0
- DOI: 10.36253/979-12-215-1062-1.68
Frailty is a dynamic and potentially reversible condition of increased vulnerability that often precedes—but remains distinct from—disability. This study examines the progression of frailty among older adults using longitudinal data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), Waves 6 to 8 (release 9.0.0), encompassing 29,828 non-institutionalized individuals aged 50 and over from 17 European countries. Frailty was measured using the adapted Fried phenotype by Santos-Eggimann et al. (2013), which includes five indicators: muscle weakness, exhaustion, appetite loss, slowness, and low physical activity. Based on these, individuals were classified as non-frail, pre-frail, or frail. A multistate Markov model was applied to analyze transitions between health states (robustness, pre-frailty, frailty, and death) over time. The analysis included key covariates: perceived loneliness, lack of social activities, gender, education, financial hardship, and European region. Findings underscore the central role of psychosocial factors in shaping aging trajectories. Women demonstrated greater resilience, with lower mortality and improved recovery rates. Higher educational attainment emerged as a protective factor, associated with reduced risk of decline and better survival—highlighting the role of cultural capital. Economic hardship was a strong predictor of frailty onset and mortality. Regional disparities were also observed: individuals in Central and Northern Europe had higher recovery probabilities, while those in Eastern Europe faced greater risks of progression and death. Perceived loneliness significantly increased the likelihood of transitioning to worse health states and reduced chances of recovery. Similarly, social inactivity was associated with a higher risk of deterioration and mortality, especially among frail individuals. These findings highlight how frailty is shaped not only by individual vulnerabilities but also by structural and social determinants. The study offers valuable insights for designing targeted interventions and welfare policies aimed at promoting healthy aging across Europe.
- Keywords:
- Reddit,
- Praw,
- ABSA,
University of Naples Federico II, Italy - ORCID: 0000-0001-5890-2195
Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy - ORCID: 0000-0002-9084-3081
Sapienza University of Rome, Italy - ORCID: 0000-0001-9264-5882
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Informazioni sul capitolo
Titolo del capitolo
Psychosocial determinants of frailty trajectories: A multistate analysis of European ageing
Autori
Agostino Stavolo, Giulia Cavrini, Viviana Egidi
Lingua
Inglese
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-1062-1.68
Opera sottoposta a peer review
Anno di pubblicazione
2026
Copyright
© 2026 Author(s)
Licenza d'uso
Licenza dei metadati
Informazioni bibliografiche
Titolo del libro
Data, Statistics and AI for Well-Being of People and Organisations
Curatori
Luigi Fabbris, Alberto Franci, Pietro Renzi
Opera sottoposta a peer review
Numero di pagine
420
Anno di pubblicazione
2026
Copyright
© 2026 Author(s)
Licenza d'uso
Licenza dei metadati
Editore
Firenze University Press
DOI
10.36253/979-12-215-1062-1
ISBN Print
979-12-215-1061-4
eISBN (pdf)
979-12-215-1062-1
eISBN (xml)
979-12-215-1063-8
Collana
Applied Statistics Series