Association between Spiritual Health and Perception of Aging in Retired Teachers in Sari, Iran

The population of retired teachers is increasing every year. Studies show that several factors are effective in understanding aging and feelings about that in retirees. One of these factors is spiritual health. This study aimed to determine the relationship between spiritual well-being and perception of aging in retired teachers.

This descriptive analytical study was conducted in 350 retired teachers under the auspices of Sari Retirement Association in Iran, 2019. Data were collected using the Spiritual Well Being Scale and the Aging Perceptions Questionnaire. Data analysis was carried out applying t-test, Mann Whitney test, and regression test in SPSS V16.

Mean age of participants was 65.3±4.3 years. The results showed that 43.1% did not actually feel old while 56.9% of those questioned felt aged. The mean scores for perception of aging and spiritual health were 99.3 ± 16.9 and 94.1 ± 17.5, respectively. Pearson correlation coefficient showed a significant negative correlation between spiritual health and the feeling of aging (r = -0.213, P <0.001).

We observed inverse relationship between spiritual health and the feeling of aging in retired teachers, so, it is necessary to develop appropriate protocols to increase spiritual health which will consequently lead to better perception of aging in older adults.