Investigating the Relationship between Gratitude and Perceived Social Support and Happiness of Elderly Women in Districts 3, 4, and 5 of Tehran in 2020 during the Epidemic of Covid-19 Disease: A Descriptive Study

Happiness is a positive psychological variable that can affect the lives of the elderly. Therefore, the present study was conducted to determine the relationship between happiness and social support and appreciation in older women.

The present study is descriptive. For this study, 384 elderly women in districts 3, 4, and 5 of Tehran in 2020 were selected as the sample by the available sampling method. Gratitude Questionnaire-Six-Item Form, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and Oxford Happiness Inventory were used to collect data. Finally, after 54 times referring to the parks in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th  districts of Tehran, the researchers were able to collect the data of the present study and the participants answered the research questionnaires. Pearson’s correlation coefficient and stepwise linear regression analysis were used to analyze the data.

Mean and standard deviation of the variable of happiness were 26.08±7.38, social support 25.90±7.05, gratitude 22.66±6.30, brief examination of mental status 26.85±2.62, and age 63.75±2.71. The results of Pearson’s correlation test showed that there was a positive and significant relationship between happiness and support Social (r=0.78, p<0.001) and gratitude (r=0.44, p<0.001). The results of stepwise regression analysis also showed that social support (β=0.716, p<0.001) and after that gratitude (β=0.213, p<0.001) were able to predict 65% of happiness changes.

Gratitude and social support are directly related to happiness and can positively predict happiness. Therefore, it appears that paying attention to the concept of gratitude and social support in the treatment and counseling programs as an effective method to increase the happiness of older women will be useful.