Horizonte de Enfermeria · Aug 4, 2026
Fear of falling is a key factor in the onset of unwanted loneliness in older adults
By Carrasco NP, Meneses YNR, Rojas-Ávila J et al.
INTRODUCTION: Unwanted loneliness is a complex emotional experience that reflects not only a decrease in the number of social relationships but also a deterioration in their quality. It affects millions of older adults worldwide and constitutes a public health problem, given its negative consequences for quality of life and its association with increased dependency, morbidity, and mortality. Fear of falling (MaC) is a factor related to loneliness that remains little studied and is understood as the lack of confidence a person experiences in avoiding a fall or performing activities of daily living, affecting both perceived self-efficacy and the ability to maintain social relationships outside the home. OBJECTIVE: This essay, based on a narrative review of the literature, argues that fear of falling constitutes a factor associated with and potentially predictive of unwanted loneliness in older adults, and proposes its incorporation into De Jong Gierveld and Tesch-Römer's model of individual and social factors. CONCLUSIONS: Fear of falling emerges as a key factor associated with unwanted loneliness in older adults and as a potential predictor of it, by simultaneously influencing individual and social factors, limiting mobility, and restricting social participation. This phenomenon perpetuates a cycle of isolation that exposes the limitations of Gierveld and Tesch-Römer's model, which does not explicitly incorporate essential contextual and structural factors, such as the inclusive design of urban spaces, technological accessibility, and the quality of meaningful relationships. Likewise, the need to incorporate temporality into the analysis and measurement of unwanted loneliness is proposed, to better understand its dynamics and guide more effective approaches.