Factors Affecting Life Satisfaction of the Elderly People in Tehran

Along with population aging the gerontological social work, as a specialist area of social work practice, has become significant for research and policy. Well-being and life satisfaction among elderly are important and key issue in the gerontological social work. This article aims to assess the life satisfaction of the elderly and its related factors. The data were collected by a survey among 600 elderly aged 60 and over in the 22 districts of Tehran, who selected through a multistage probability sampling. The mean age of the elderly was 70 years old, 17% of the elderly were illiterate, and 16% of them lived alone. The results indicate a decrease in life satisfaction in the elderly with age. The results of the multivariate analysis revealed that health status, social support, age, employment status, education, and SES had a significant effect on life satisfaction of elderly people and explained 37% of variance in life satisfaction of elderly people. Hence, poor health statuses, lack of social support and poor financial resources have the greatest impact on the satisfaction of the elderly. Social protection of the family and government support and welfare programs can play an important role in increasing the happiness and life satisfaction in old age.