Unveiling the Mental Health Impact of Physical Decline in Older Adults: A Holistic Approach

The field of gerontology consistently underscores the significant interconnection between physical health and psychological well-being in aging populations. As the global demographic shifts towards an older average age, there is a pressing need to comprehend how physical performance deterioration and increasing frailty affect mental health outcomes such as depression, anxiety, and stress. Current research has begun to explore this interaction, revealing alarming rates of psychological distress coinciding with declining physical capabilities. However, these studies often operate in isolation, failing to provide a comprehensive overview of the mental health ramifications in the context of physical decline, highlighting a gap in integrated research within this domain.

This Research Topic aims to bridge diverse research areas by exploring how physical performance and frailty interplay with psychological factors in older adults. It seeks to advance our understanding of critical questions, such as the role of psychological resilience in mitigating mental health impacts and how cognitive interventions might enhance physical health outcomes. Our objective is to provide novel insights that link physical challenges to cognitive decline, social isolation, identity shifts, and differing cultural perceptions, thereby enriching public health strategies with holistic interventions for older adults.

To gather further insights into this multifaceted issue, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

The psychological impacts of physical decline in older adults

Cognitive health and its relationship with physical frailty

Social isolation stemming from physical limitations and its mental health consequences

Effectiveness of interventions targeting the psychological well-being of older persons

The influence of physical performance on self-perception and identity

Cultural and gender-specific analyses of psychological and physical health interplay

Additionally, we invite original research articles, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, case studies, and commentary pieces, all contributing to a more nuanced understanding of the psychological dimensions of physical performance and frailty in older adults.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review

Keywords: Physical Frailty, Social Isolation, Cognitive Health, Psychological Well-being

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.