Feeling older or lonely at 40 could indicate early signs of frailty, reveals a recent study by Flinders University. The research, published in BMC Public Health, emphasizes the psychological and social cues that precede physical symptoms of frailty. Loneliness emerged as a significant predictor of pre-frailty among participants. Lead author Tom Brennan highlights that promoting positive perceptions about aging is essential for preventing frailty's progression.
May 16, 2025
Feelings of frailty may signal early signs of ageing at 40: Study
"Feeling
older than you are, can be a meaningful psychological signal." - Tom
Brennan"
Feelings of
frailty may signal early signs of ageing at 40: Study
New Delhi,
May 16: Feeling lonely or older than your age at 40? According to a study,
these negative perceptions about ageing could be early signs of frailty, even
in your 40s.
Key Points
1 Frailty
may begin with psychological signs at 40
2 Study
links loneliness to early frailty
3 Positive
aging attitudes are vital for future resilience
Usually
associated with older age, frailty is a recognised medical condition, marked by
reduced strength, energy, and ability to recover from illness.
Pre-frailty
is the reversible transition stage that comes before; however, experts say it's
ill-defined and requires more understanding.
The
research, published in the journal BMC Public Health, showed that it can begin
much earlier with subtle psychological and social cues.
"Many
people assume frailty is something that happens when we get much older,"
said lead author Tom Brennan from Flinders University's Caring Futures
Institute in Australia.
"But
our research shows the psychological and behavioural warning signs can emerge
decades earlier, in people in their 40s, 50s, and 60s. For example, feeling
older than you are, might sound like a throwaway comment, but it turns out it
can be a sign that something's not quite right,” he added.
For the
study, the researchers analysed data from 321 Australian adults aged 40 and
over; 60 per cent of participants were classified as pre-frail, 35 per cent as
non-frail, and 5 per cent as frail.
The
analysis found that both pre-frail and frail individuals were more likely to
report loneliness and negative attitudes toward aging, compared to non-frail
participants.
"Loneliness
was one of the strongest predictors of pre-frailty in our sample, highlighting
that social isolation is a critical factor that can affect overall resilience,
even in a relatively healthy and mobile population," Brennan said.
Another key
finding was that pre-frail individuals commonly reported feeling older than
their chronological age, even when physical health markers were within expected
ranges.
"Feeling
older than you are, can be a meaningful psychological signal," said
Brennan. "We need to emphasise the importance of fostering positive
attitudes towards aging as this can have a huge impact on how people adjust to
their later stages of life."
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