The Roles of Social Isolation and Cognitive Emotion Regulation in the Relationship between Life Events and Psychological Well-being among Older Adults

In todaychr('39')s modern world, we are witnessing a noticeable increase in stress level, and its aftermath on an individualchr('39')s psychological well-being, specifically among older adults. Some studies suggested that social isolation and cognitive emotion regulation can affect an individualchr('39')s psychological well-being. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between life events and psychological well-being, considering the possible mediating roles of social isolation and cognitive emotion regulation among community-dwelling older adults.

This study was implemented through a cross-sectional and correlational design. The statistical population of this study included all community-dwelling older adults aged 60 and older living in Tehran. The sample included 321 older adults, who were selected through the convenience sampling method. The Old Age Stressor Scale, the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale, the Lubben Social Network Scale, and the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire were used to collect data. The gathered data were analyzed using the Pearson correlation coefficient and path analysis statistical technique. The SPSS 16 and Amos 16 software were used for data analysis.

55.7% of participants were women, and 44.3% were men with the mean age of (65.14±5.02) and (67.99±6.35), respectively. The results showed that life events (r=-0.281, P<0/001), and social isolation (r=-0.425, P<0/001) directly predicted psychological well-being. Also, social isolation and maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies mediated the relationship between life events and psychological well-being (ß=-0.112, P<0/001) and explained 28% of the variance of psychological well-being.

The findings showed that social isolation and maladaptive emotion regulation play a significant mediating role in the relationship between life events and psychological well-being. Therefore, designing and implementing interventions to reduce social isolation and improve cognitive emotion regulation strategies for older adults encountering stressful life events is recommended.