The Relationship Between Active Aging and Mental Health in the Elderly Patients

In Iran, studies and statistical indicators indicate an elderly rapid growth; accordingly, as expected in 2031, an aging explosion will occur in our country. Furthermore, 25%–30% of the population will be over the age of 50 years by then. Thus, it is essential to pay attention to the health of the aging population. Moreover, a critical approach to reduce the complications associated with aging is to increase activity among the aging population. Active aging should be considered as a multidimensional and multilevel concept that can simultaneously be applied to individual levels and for policymaking. Additionally, an important aspect of health in the elderly is the psychological dimension. Besides, this aspect requires special attention and prevention from disorders, such as depression and anxiety in them. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the level of activity in the elderly and its relationship with their mental health.

This cross–sectional, descriptive, and correlational study was conducted on 200 elderly patients referring to the university hospitals of Ardabil City, Iran, in 2018. The study samples were selected by the convenience sampling method. The inclusion criteria of the study were an age of over 60 years and a willingness to participating in the study. The exclusion criteria of the study included discontinuing cooperation with the study, having a physician–confirmed mental illness, impaired consciousness levels, the paralysis of the limbs, and inability to perform personal tasks. The Active Aging Measurement Instrument (AAIM; Mohammadi et al., 2018) and the General Health Questionnaire–28 (GHQ–28; Goldberg & Hillier, 1979) were applied to collect the required data. To obtain the necessary demographic information, a researcher–made questionnaire was used that included age, gender, marital status, the number of children, occupational status, educational level, and economic status. The obtained data were analyzed in SPSS by descriptive statists, such as mean and standard deviation as well as inferential statists, including Independent Samples t–test and Pearson correlation coefficient.

Pearson correlation coefficient data suggested a significant relationship between the level of activeness in the explored elderly and their mental health (r=0.44, p<0.001). Furthermore, a significant relationship was detected between all 6 subscales of AAIM, including sociability (socio–institutional participation) (r=0.53 , p=0.001), mindfulness (r=0.29, p=0.001), interactionism (r=0.33, p=0.001), agency (active) insight (r=0.47, p=0.001), role–playing (r=0.37, p=0.001), and physical–functional dynamics (r=0.49, p=0.001), and the ability to explain mental health.

Based on the current study results, active aging can positively affect the elderly’s mental health. Furthermore, active aging is an effective factor in mental health. Thus, being active can be considered in future plans for this group.