Association of Fear of Fall and Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) in Older Adults: A Case-Control Study

Fear of Fall (FOF) defined as a phobic reaction to standing or walking, also encompasses a decrease in balance self-efficacy, frightened anticipation of falling and deleterious avoidance of activity. FOF is highly prevalent in older adults and a predictor of future falls. Current instruments for measuring FOF range from asking a single dichotomous question to administering scales like the Fall Efficacy Scale, Activity Specific Balance Confidence Scale, etc. These self-reported instruments are susceptible to subjective measurement error and bias. Fear is associated with Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) activation. Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) is a type of electrodermal response which detects changes in the electrical conductivity of the skin due to an increase in sweat gland activity, seen in fearful individuals due to increased Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) activity. The use of an objective outcome measure like GSR may aid in the identification of FOF and in turn, facilitate the potential use of SNS activity as a biomarker of recovery as well as for evaluating the effectiveness of various types of interventions.