Pain and Social Isolation as Mediators of the Longitudinal Association Between Sleep Problems and Frailty in U.S. Older Adults

Manacy Pai, David M. Almeida, Soomi Lee, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Center for Healthy Aging, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Department of Sociology and Criminology, Kent State University, Department of Child and Family Studies, College of Human Ecology, Yonsei University, Republic of Korea, Center for Healthy Aging, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park

Journal of Applied Gerontology

Published online on April 27, 2026

Abstract

Journal of Applied Gerontology, Ahead of Print.
BackgroundSleep problems are common in older adults and associated with higher frailty risk.ObjectiveTo examine whether pain and social isolation explain the longitudinal association between sleep problems and frailty.MethodsData were from 925 adults aged ...