Chain mediating effect of frailty and depression between nutrition and quality of life in elderly stroke patients

Elderly stroke patients generally have a lower quality of life. This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of frailty and depression in the relationship between nutrition and quality of life in elderly stroke patients. The researcher used the convenience sampling method to select 193 cases of elderly stroke patients who were admitted to the Department of Neurology of a tertiary general hospital in Qingdao from July 2023 to March 2024, and the questionnaires were investigated using the General Information Questionnaire, the Tilburg Frailty Assessment Index Scale (TFI), the Depression Screening Scale (PHQ-9), the Simplified Quality of Life Scale for Stroke Patients (SV-SS-QoL), and the Mini-Nutrition Assessment Scale (MNA-SF). The incidence of malnutrition was 47.2% in elderly stroke patients, whereas the quality of life score was 43.00 (40.00, 47.00), frailty was 6.00 (2.00, 8.00), and depression was 6.00 (4.00, 7.00). The mediating effect analysis showed that the chain mediating effect of frailty and depression on nutrition and quality of life in elderly stroke patients was significant, with a total indirect effect of 0.155, the mediating effect of depression as the mediating variable accounted for 54.2% of the total indirect effect, the mediating effect of frailty as the mediating variable accounted for 25.2% of the total indirect effect, and the chain mediating effect of frailty and depression between nutrition and quality of life of elderly stroke patients accounted for 20.6% of the total indirect effect. It is proven that in elderly stroke patients, depression and frailty have a chain mediating effect on nutrition and quality of life. Healthcare professionals should quickly do nutritional assessments and take the necessary actions to enhance patients' nutritional status, prevent depression and frailty, and enhance their quality of life.