THE STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL SUPPORT AND SOCIAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING AMONG ELDERLY PEOPLE IN CITY OF KHORRAMABAD IN 2017

Improving living conditions and increasing longevity and life expectancy has led
to an aging phenomenon. The phenomenon of increasing elderly population is one of the most important
economic, social and health challenges of the present century. Therefore, this study was conducted to
investigate the relationship between social support and social and psychological well-being among
elderly people in city of Khorramabad.
Material & Methods: The method used in the research, survey and data collection tool was Wick's
Social Support Questionnaire and Goldberg & Hiller's General Health Questionnaire. The statistical
population consisted of all elderly citizens over 65 years old and a sample number of 337 people. The
sampling method was multi-stage cluster and cluster sampling. Data was collected from 6 selected
neighborhoods in city of Khorramabad in 2017. Data were analyzed by Pearson correlation coefficient,
multiple linear regression test and Independent mean t-test using SPSS-21 software.
Results: Findings indicate that the social support components are related to the social and mental health
of the elderly, and this relationship is statistically significant (P <0.001). Also, independent t-test showed
that the social and mental health of the elderly is different in both sexes but is not statistically significant
(P <0.05).
Conclusion: According to the results, the social support of the elderly can be enhanced, and they benefit
from more social and mental health. These findings contain important therapeutic applications regarding
the importance of these variables in increasing the social and mental health of the elderly