Factors Associated with Quality of Life in Older Adults with Multimorbidity: A Cross-sectional Study

Aim

To investigate the factors predicting physical and mental health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in older adults with multimorbidity.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional, correlational survey. The study was conducted between May 2023 and June 2024. The participants consisted of a convenient sample of 110 community-dwelling older adults aged 65 years or older who were diagnosed with at least three chronic diseases at least 3 months earlier.

Results

Factors associated with HRQoL were identified using multiple regression analysis. High selfefficacy (β = −.29, p = .010) and fewer chronic diseases (β = .21, p = .013) were significant positive predictors of physical HRQoL in older adults with multimorbidity, which explained 32% of the variance. For mental HRQoL, the predictors were a lower level of depressive symptoms (β = −.50, p < .001), lower dependence in instrumental activities of daily living (β = −.29, p = .024), and disease duration of 5–9 years (β = −.21, p = .009), which explained 49% of the variance.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that customized interventions accounting for both physical and mental factors may more effectively improve the QoL of older adults with multimorbidity. Healthcare providers should assess unmet needs, considering chronic multimorbidity, functional status, and disease duration and implement self-efficacy-based QoL interventions prioritizing the management of depression. Cite this article as: Jang, Y., & Cho, O. (2026). Factors associated with quality of life in older adults with multimorbidity: a cross-sectional study. Florence Nightingale Journal of Nursing, 34, 0156, doi:10.5152/FNJN.2026.26156.