The association physical function with agitation and passivity in nursing home residents with dementia

The purpose of this article is to examine the association of physical function with agitation and passivity in nursing home residents with dementia using direct observational measures. Data were analyzed using mixed model analysis of variance. This study was a secondary data analysis using baseline data yielded from a crossover experimental study. Univariate analyses showed that physical function, cognitive status, and education explained a significant amount of variance in agitation. When controlled for cognitive status and education, physical function lost significance and only explained 2.6% of the variance in agitation. It was found that physical function was not related to passivity. Environmental factors may be more salient antecedents for agitation and passivity in nursing home residents with moderate to severe cognitive impairment.