Short-term affective recovery from hip fracture prospectively predicts depression and physical functioning

Objective: The goals of the current study were to determine the average affective experiences in the weeks andmonths after a hip fracture and assess how these experiences relate to physical and mental health functioningover time. Method: Positive and negative affect were assessed over time in a sample of older adults recruitedafter surgery for hip fracture (n = 500) and a comparison sample of older adults without hip fracture (n = 102)for 1 year longitudinally. Results: For most of the individuals with a hip fracture, positive affect tended toincrease over time and negative affect tended to decrease over time, suggesting that most people had at leastsome recovery of affect. In addition, individuals who showed a slower decrease in negative affect had higherlevels of depression 1 year later, and individuals who showed a sharper increase in positive affect had superiorphysical function 1 year later. Conclusion: The current study provides evidence that both positive andnegative affect in the first 12 weeks of recovery from hip fracture are potential targets for intervention tomaximize psychological and physical recovery in the ensuing year.