Social Support and Anxiety in the Elderly of Hamedan, Iran

oleh: Vahid Rashedi, Masoud Gharib, Mohammad Rezaei, Abbas Ali Yazdani

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences 2013-07-01

Deskripsi

Objective: Today, due to the high growth rate of aging, protecting and improving the health and quality of life of elderly as a vulnerable group of the population are taken into more consideration. This study was performed to determine the relationship between social support and anxiety level in the elderly. Materials & Methods: In this descriptive-analytic study, 380 older adults of Hamedan city were selected through random sampling. To gather the data, Social Support Appraisals Scale and Geriatric Anxiety Scale were used as well as Demographic Variables Questionnaire. Data were analyzed by Correlation Coefficient and Independent T-test. Results: The sample consisted of 68. 9% male and 90% were married. The mean age of the elders was 68.06±6.72 years. Results showed that social support has significant relationships with anxiety and its subscales, of which cognitive subscale had the highest correlation (P-value<0.001, r=-0.494). Conclusion: Because of the increasing rate of aging, the importance of the social determinants of health such as social support is important in reducing anxiety in elderly.