Soledad y fragilidad en adultos mayores: ¿coincidencia o coexistencia clínica?

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the association between loneliness and frailty syndrome in older adults enrolled in a family medicine unit. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 380 older adults aged 60 to 84 years, selected through non-probabilistic convenience sampling. The University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale (UCLA) and the FRAIL Scale were administered to assess subjective feelings of loneliness and frailty, respectively. Sociodemographic variables were collected (age, sex, marital status, educational level, family typology, substance use, comorbidities, use of social media, monthly income, and occupation). For the statistical analysis, absolute and relative frequencies were calculated, and the χ2 test and logistic regression were used to assess the association between variables. A significance level of p<0.05 was established. Results: It was found that 77.4% of the participants exhibited a severe level of loneliness, and 71.6% were classified as frail. No statistically significant correlation was observed between loneliness and frailty syndrome (χ2, p= 0.879). Conclusion: Although no significant association was identified between loneliness and frailty syndrome, both phenomena were highly prevalent in the study population. The findings emphasize the importance of health policies aimed at strengthening social and community support for older adults as a preventive measure against frailty and loneliness.