Effects of frailty status on happiness and life satisfaction: The mediating role of self-perceived health

During the past decade, the frail syndrome has acquired great importance due to its detrimental social and psychological consequences. In the present study, we investigate the association between frailty status and well-being (happiness and life satisfaction) among older adults, and we test the role of self-perceived health as potential mediator in such relations. We recruited 1205 older Chilean adults who responded to measures about their objective health status (frailty-related indicators), well-being, and self-perceived health. Overall, path analyses showed that frailty status is negatively associated to life satisfaction and happiness, and that self-perceived health works as a mediator for such relations. The social and psychological consequences of the frail syndrome in older adults are discussed.