Social Participation and Mental Health among Older Adults in Iran

Social participation is linked to healthy aging and the maintenance of functional independence in older individuals. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between social participation and orderly’s mental health. Totally 380 people, aged over 60 residing in city of Hamadan were participated in the study. The participants completed a researcher-tailored inventory assessing their social participation and a GHQ-28 questionnaire assessing their mental health. Required social and demographic data was also gathered. Findings showed that the elderly, relatively, enjoyed good level of mental health. In general, mental health was significantly associated with social participation. However, when looking at subscales, only somatic and social performance had a significant positive relationship with social participation. Social participation can be of effective factors on which policy makers and therapists can plan to improve the mental health of aged people.