Relationship of Lifestyle and Social Support With Marital Satisfaction of Elderly Population

Given the improvement in the personal and social health level of elderly people, the present study aimed to investigate the relationship of factors like lifestyle and social support with marital satisfaction in elderly people in Iran.
Methods & Materials: The present study employed a cross-sectional descriptive correlation method. The study population included 381 elderly people aged 60 years and above. They were selected from health care centers using random cluster sampling technique. The subjects were asked to complete the Erich’s marital satisfaction questionnaire, lifestyle questionnaire, and social support questionnaire. The data collected was analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics (Pearson Correlation Coefficient and Stepwise regression) using SPSS 21 software.
The outcomes of stepwise regression analysis indicated that lifestyle and social support serve as significant predictors of marital satisfaction among the elderly people in Iran (R2=0.46). However, there was no significant difference (P>0.05) between the contribution of lifestyle and social support towards marital satisfaction.
Our findings suggested that social support and lifestyle are the key elements in maintaining the stability of marital satisfaction in the elderly people.