Associations of Frailty and Depressive Symptoms with Quality of Life Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults with Musculoskeletal Disorders

Abstract Background Quality of life in older adults with musculoskeletal disorders may be influenced by frailty and depressive symptoms. Their joint contribution to quality of life in this population remains insufficiently examined. Methods A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted among 120 community-dwelling older adults with musculoskeletal disorders in Greece. Participants were recruited from two hospitals between December 2025 and April 2026 using purposive sampling. Quality of life, depressive symptoms, and frailty were assessed using the Older People's Quality of Life Questionnaire (OPQOL-35), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15), and Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI), respectively. Pearson correlations and multiple linear regression were performed. Results Mean scores were 3.65 ( SD = 4.00) for the GDS-15, 4.43 ( SD = 3.33) for the TFI, and 121.73 ( SD = 13.53) for the OPQOL-35. Depressive symptoms were positively correlated with frailty ( r = 0.777, p < 0.001) and negatively correlated with quality of life ( r = − 0.754, p < 0.001). Frailty was also negatively correlated with quality of life ( r = − 0.681, p < 0.001). The regression model was significant ( F (2,117) = 84.670, p < 0.001) and explained 59.1% of the variance in OPQOL-35 scores. Both depressive symptoms (β = −0.567, p < 0.001) and frailty (β = −0.241, p = 0.011) were independently associated with quality-of-life scores. Conclusions Depressive symptoms and frailty were independently associated with quality-of-life scores among community-dwelling older adults with musculoskeletal disorders. Concurrent assessment of psychological and frailty-related factors may provide a more comprehensive understanding of quality of life in this population.