Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi, USA.
Division of Gerontology, Geriatrics, and Palliative Care, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
Gerontologist. 2024 Apr 1;64(4). doi: 10.1093/geront/gnad116.
Increasing age brings a greater risk of death of friends and family (hereafter referred to as loss) potentially impacting individuals' life-space mobility (LSM) trajectory.
Using the UAB study of aging, we examined differences in LSM trajectories of 1,000 community-dwelling older Alabamians (65 + years) with and without loss over 8.5 years. We measured LSM using UAB's Life-Space Assessment (LSA), a validated instrument assessing movement through zones ranging from their bedroom to out of town. We assessed loss every 6 months using a standard bereavement questionnaire capturing spousal, other relative, or friend loss. We used piecewise linear mixed-effects models to compare LSA trajectories.
At baseline, those who later experienced loss, compared with those who did not were younger, more likely to be female, and overall in better health. Those without loss had a baseline mean LSA score of 49.5 and a decline of 0.08 points per year (p < .001). Those with loss had a baseline LSA score of 60 and declined by 1.0 point per year before loss (p < .001), accelerating to 1.8 points per year after loss (p < .001).
Those with loss do not experience acute decline postloss but do have an acceleration of the preexisting decline. Although additional research may explain the impact of loss on LSM; this finding suggests that more interventions such as social, mental, or health care services, may be needed for those who experience loss. Specifically, bereaved individuals may benefit from it.
年龄的增长会带来朋友和家人死亡（以下简称丧失）的风险增加，这可能会影响个体的生活空间移动（LSM）轨迹。
我们使用 UAB 老龄化研究，检查了在 8.5 年的时间里，有丧失和无丧失的 1000 名居住在社区的阿拉巴马州老年人（65 岁以上）的 LSM 轨迹差异。我们使用 UAB 的生活空间评估（LSA）来衡量 LSM，这是一种经过验证的工具，用于评估从卧室到城镇以外的区域的移动。我们每 6 个月使用标准丧亲问卷评估丧失情况，该问卷可捕捉配偶、其他亲属或朋友的丧失情况。我们使用分段线性混合效应模型来比较 LSA 轨迹。
在基线时，与未经历丧失的人相比，那些后来经历丧失的人更年轻、更可能是女性，整体健康状况更好。无丧失者的基线 LSA 得分为 49.5，每年下降 0.08 分（p<0.001）。有丧失者的基线 LSA 得分为 60，在丧失前每年下降 1.0 分（p<0.001），丧失后加速至每年 1.8 分（p<0.001）。
有丧失经历的人在丧失后不会经历急性下降，但确实会加速之前的下降。尽管进一步的研究可能会解释丧失对 LSM 的影响；但这一发现表明，对于经历丧失的人，可能需要更多的干预措施，如社交、心理或医疗保健服务。具体来说，丧亲的人可能会从中受益。
